Neuroinflammation drives some of the most prevalent and hardest-to-treat neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis, yet conventional preclinical models struggle to capture the coordinated, multicellular biology behind it.

In this webinar, 28bio will present new data on CNS-3D Inflammatory Organoids, a human iPSC-derived platform that integrates microglia into our core CNS-3D Brain Organoid technology to model neuroinflammatory processes and their functional consequences. Built through a robust long-term co-culture protocol, these organoids preserve healthy neural and glial morphology while enabling microglia to actively engage in immune surveillance and debris clearance.

Upon inflammatory challenge with LPS or TNF alpha, CNS-3D Inflammatory Organoids show dramatically amplified cytokine release compared to microglia-free organoids, along with clear microglial activation and disease-relevant gene expression changes. In a therapeutic case study conducted with Nano Neuron (Rutgers University), the platform captured TNF alpha-induced hyperexcitability, cytokine release, and cellular injury, all of which were prevented by co-treatment with an anti-TNF alpha nanobody candidate, demonstrating the platform's ability to link mechanism, function, and therapeutic efficacy in one system.

CNS-3D Inflammatory Organoids are now available as both an assay-ready product and a full-service study offering.

Key Takeaways
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• Microglia-integrated organoids reproduce human neuroimmune biology, from resting microglial states to robust cytokine and morphological responses upon inflammatory challenge
• Functional network activity (via calcium imaging) provides a sensitive, orthogonal readout of inflammatory signaling, detecting effects before overt cell death
• A therapeutic case study shows the platform can link inflammatory challenge, functional disruption, and drug efficacy, positioning it as a tool for both safety and efficacy investigations

Speaker
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Andrew LaCroix, Lead Scientist at 28bio

Andrew LaCroix is a Lead Scientist at 28bio, specializing in the development of iPSC-derived brain organoid models and their applications to preclinical safety and efficacy testing. He has focused on predictive neurotoxicity assays and human-first drug discovery to reduce clinical failure rates and improve patient outcomes.

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