3D-brAIn: 2024 highlights
What a year it’s been for 3D-brAIn! In 2024, our team achieved some incredible milestones in brain organoid research. We strengthened our collaboration between teams, welcomed new members and made significant progress on all fronts!
1. ERASMUS MC
At Erasmus MC, we advanced our adherent cortical organoid model and had the pleasure of hosting exchange visits from both LMU and UNIGE. The main highlights included:
Measuring organoid activity: The team made steady progress in refining methods to capture and analyse organoid activity. The 3BRAIN BioCAM DupleX device was successfully implemented in the lab, facilitating the first high-resolution MEA recordings of our human iPSC derived neural networks.
hiPSC-derived neural network on HD MEA chip and a frame of first recordings
Optimising data analysis and handling: Together with the UNIGE team, we explored better ways to write, read, transfer, and store data. A major highlight was the contribution of Sara Baccino – a master’s student from UNIGE – who joined us for three months to implement a Generative Adversarial Network (AN) which is helping us to extract more valuable insights from organoid data.
Sara Baccino, a master’s student from UNIGE who did a three-month exchanged at Erasmus Mc.
1. LMU
At LMU, the team focused on making steps towards validating the 3D-brAIn platform by cultivating and testing brain organoids.
In January, our PhD student, Rebecca Bonrath spent three months at Erasmus MC learning how to culture cortical adherent organoids. During her exchange, she grew the first organoids using a control cell line in Rotterdam.
First organoids with control cell line grown in Rotterdam.
Back in Munich, she and PI Silvia Cappello, successfully continued this work consistently growing high-quality control organoids to support further research.
Successful growth of a control organoid.
3. UNIGE
At UNIGE, the team has been harnessing artificial intelligence to make sense of complex organoid data. To help with this, we have welcomed PhD student Lorenzo Sacchi who has been alongside Cristina Campi and Michele on developing computational tools for data analysis.
Lorenzo has been focusing on developing tools to visualise and restructure organoid data, such as spikes and field potentials. The team has been focusing on intra-organoid analysis, using data from 4,096 electrodes. They’ve developed algorithms to simplify, connect, and group the data—for example, clustering signals using the c-means algorithm, which helps reveal patterns in activity.
An example of applying the c-means algorithm with Dynamic Time Warping distance to a dataset consisting of positive and negative spike signals.
4. 3BRAIN
A major 2024 highlight for 3BRAIN was the launch of our HyperCAM Delta system. This cutting-edge 24-well high-density microelectrode array (HD-MEA) system is a game-changer, offering the highest number of recording wells and electrodes available. It’s opening up exciting new possibilities in neuroscience research and for 3D-brAIn.
HyperCAM Delta allows:
- Screening and testing compounds (short- and long-term)
- Phenotypic drug testing
- Analysing neuronal and cardiac activity in vitro
- Studying organoid development and maturation
- Characterising neurodegenerative diseases using iPSCs
Looking ahead...
2024 was a year of incredible progress, and we couldn’t have done it without the hard work of our team and the support of our collaborators. One month into 2025, we’re more motivated than ever to keep innovating and discovering. Thank you for being part of our journey—we can’t wait to share what’s next!
