Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

08:30
A Static Self-Directed Method for Generating Brain Organoids from Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: March 4, 2020
A Simple Method of Generating 3D Brain Organoids Using Standard Laboratory Equipment
Magdalena Sutcliffe1, Madeline A Lancaster2
1MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|April 1, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a simple, growth factor-free method to create 3D cerebral organoids from human stem cells. These organoids mimic early human brain development, aiding neural development and disease research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience and Developmental Biology
Background:
- 3D brain organoids are valuable tools for studying neural development and diseases.
- Existing methods for generating organoids can be complex and require specific growth factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a simplified, growth factor-free protocol for generating human cerebral organoids.
- To enable the replication of early human brain development in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Utilized feeder-dependent or feeder-free human pluripotent stem cells.
- Employed standard laboratory equipment without requiring specific growth factors.
- Developed a protocol for generating 3D cerebral tissues.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated 3D cerebral organoids.
- The organoids replicated human early brain development up to the first trimester.
- Morphology and gene expression patterns of the organoids mirrored in vivo development.
Conclusions:
- The described method offers an accessible approach to generating human cerebral organoids.
- This technique facilitates the study of early human neural development and associated diseases.
- The growth factor-free protocol simplifies organoid generation for broader research applications.

