May iPSC Seminar: Early Drug Discovery Unit
Multiscale 3D analysis of human brain organoids for quantitative tissue biology in development and disease

Dr. Alex Albanese
Alex Albanese, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist,
Boston Children’s Hospital,
USA
Thursday, May 13, 2021
4:00 – 5:00PM EDT
Zoom: (registration required)
Talk abstract
Brain organoids can be grown from patient-derived stem cells to model human cortical development and dysfunction. These 3D organoids produce a variety of neurons and glia that self-organize into architectures resembling the human brain. Comprehensive quantification of cell populations and emergent features is essential in assessing complex tissue-level phenotypes. Here, I will present our progress in volumetric imaging and multiscale analysis of antibody-labeled organoids. The SCOUT pipeline includes automated analysis of single-cells, their microenvironment, ventricles and tissue patterns to provide quantitative phenotyping of brain development and Zika virus infection. Comprehensive analysis enabled detection of rare events and the discovery of new phenotypic features, which may improve the detection and treatment of disease.