Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 17, 2025
08:03
Author Spotlight: Advancing 3D Cell Modeling – A High-Throughput Approach for Neural Cocultures
Published on: September 29, 2023
5.3K
A Human 3D neural assembloid model for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Lu Wang1, David Sievert1, Joseph Gleeson2
1Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA; Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA.
Research Square
|February 17, 2021
Summary
Pericyte-like cells (PLCs) in brain organoids become infected by SARS-CoV-2, acting as viral replication hubs. This study introduces a new model for investigating neural infections and the central nervous system
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Virology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The central nervous system (CNS) is often affected by SARS-CoV-2, but the mechanisms are not fully understood.
- Pericytes, cells in brain blood vessels, are hypothesized as potential entry points for SARS-CoV-2.
Approach:
- Researchers integrated pericyte-like cells (PLCs) into cortical organoids.
- They infected these PLC-containing cortical organoids (PCCOs) with authentic SARS-CoV-2.
- They analyzed viral entry, replication, and host responses within the organoid model.
Key Points:
- PLCs in PCCOs supported SARS-CoV-2 infection and acted as viral replication hubs.
- Infection spread from PLCs to astrocytes, triggering inflammatory responses.
- PLCs promoted astrocytic maturation and basement membrane production in the organoids.
Conclusions:
- PCCOs represent a novel 'assembloid' model for studying SARS-CoV-2 infection in neural tissue.
- This model facilitates research into viral entry, replication, and pathogenesis within the CNS.
