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Organoids are in vitro miniaturized cellular models of organs that offer opportunities for studying organ development, disease mechanisms and drug screening. Understanding the complex processes governing organoid development and function requires methods suitable for the continuous, long-term monitoring of cell activities (for example, electrophysiological and mechanical activity) at single-cell resolution throughout the entire three-dimensional (3D) structure. Cyborg organoid technology addresses this need by seamlessly integrating stretchable mesh nanoelectronics with tissue-like properties, such as tissue-level flexibility, subcellular feature size and mesh-like networks, into 3D organoids through a 2D-to-3D tissue reconfiguration process during organogenesis. This approach enables longitudinal, tissue-wide, single-cell functional mapping, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing techniques including recording duration, spatial coverage, and the ability to maintain stable contact with the tissue during organoid development. This protocol describes the fabrication and characterization of stretchable mesh nanoelectronics, their electrical performance, their integration with organoids and the acquisition of long-term functional organoid activity requiring multimodal data analysis techniques. Cyborg organoid technology represents a transformative tool for investigating organoid development and function, with potential for improving in vitro disease models, drug screening and personalized medicine. The procedure is suitable for users within a multidisciplinary team with expertise in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, nanoelectronics fabrication, electrophysiology and data science.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41596-025-01147-7 | DOI Listing |
BMC Mol Cell Biol
September 2025
School of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) affects around 1 in 4000 individuals and represents approximately 25% of cases of vision loss in adults, through death of retinal rod and cone photoreceptor cells. It remains a largely untreatable disease, and research is needed to identify potential targets for therapy. Mutations in 94 different genes have been identified as causing RP, including AGBL5 which encodes the main deglutamylase that regulates and maintains functional levels of cilia tubulin glutamylation, which is essential to initiate ciliogenesis, maintain cilia stability and motility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEMBO Mol Med
September 2025
Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Li
Primary microcephaly, a rare congenital condition characterized by reduced brain size, occurs due to impaired neurogenesis during brain development. Through whole-exome sequencing, we identified compound heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in CENTRIN 3 (CETN3) in a 5-year-old patient with primary microcephaly. As CETN3 has not been previously linked to microcephaly, we investigated its potential function in neurodevelopment in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebral organoids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Pharm
September 2025
CINBIO, Immunology Group, Universidade de Vigo 36310 Vigo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, 36312 Vigo, Spain. Electronic address:
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly aggressive malignancy with poor therapeutic outcomes due to its desmoplastic tumor microenvironment (TME), hindering drug and activated immune cell penetration. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are central in supporting tumor growth and forming a protective stroma. We propose a novel dual-therapy targeting the Hippo pathway and histone deacetylation, both involved in tumor progression, resistance, and stromal interactions, to overcome PDAC therapeutic resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep Med
September 2025
Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsvannsveien 20, 0372 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address:
Accurate identification of tumor-specific markers is vital for developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based therapies. While cell surface antigens are seldom cancer-restricted, their post-translational modifications (PTMs), particularly aberrant carbohydrate structures, offer attractive alternatives. Among these, the sialyl-Tn (STn) antigen stands out for its prevalent presence in various epithelial tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep
September 2025
Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Un
Neurodevelopmental disorders often impair multiple cognitive domains. For instance, a genetic epilepsy syndrome might cause seizures due to cortical hyperexcitability and present with memory impairments arising from hippocampal dysfunction. This study examines how a single disorder differentially affects distinct brain regions using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cortical- and hippocampal-ganglionic eminence assembloids to model developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 13, a condition arising from gain-of-function mutations in the SCN8A gene encoding the sodium channel Nav1.
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