Modeling brain and neural crest neoplasms with human pluripotent stem cells

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Stem Cell Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are valuable for studying human-specific diseases and cancer.
• Reactivation of developmental programs in PSCs mirrors oncogenic processes.
• Brain organoids enhance in vitro modeling of brain development and structure.

Approach:

• This review synthesizes recent research on PSC and brain organoid models for brain and neural crest neoplasms.
• It examines the shared transcriptomic and epigenetic signatures between oncogenesis and development.
• The review discusses the utility of these models in biomedical research.

Key Points:

• PSC-derived brain organoids provide realistic in vitro models for studying brain tumors.
• Understanding shared developmental and oncogenic pathways is crucial.
• Current models face challenges in accurately recapitulating tumor complexity.

Conclusions:

• Human pluripotent stem cell models, particularly brain organoids, are promising for cancer research.
• There is a need for enhanced quality control in these models.
• Developing models for rare tumor subtypes is essential for comprehensive research.