Speaker
Description
"Three-dimensional neural models derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), such as organoids and assembloids, are essential tools for replicating key features of human brain development. They play a vital role in advancing research on neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Real-time, label-free measurement of electrical activity is needed for unraveling the intricate dynamics of the neuronal networks formed within these self-organizing in-vitro systems.
High-density microelectrode arrays (HD-MEAs) provide a powerful, non-invasive platform for high-resolution electrical imaging, enabling real-time recordings of electrical signals from a wide range of electrogenic samples, including neural organoids, assembloids, and brain or retinal tissue slices. In this study, we employed the MaxOne and MaxTwo HD-MEA platforms, featuring 26.400 electrodes per well, to record extracellular action potentials from 3D neural models across multiple levels of resolution, spanning entire networks to individual cells and subcellular structures. We demonstrated the systems’ flexible electrode selection, leading to enhanced reproducibility and statistical power of the collected data. Extracted and analyzed parameters included firing rate, spike amplitude, and network burst profile.
To further explore subcellular dynamics, the AxonTracking Assay was used to trace the propagation of action potentials along axonal branches, enabling precise investigation of axonal properties, such as conduction velocity, latency, axonal length and branching patterns. This revolutionary assay offers a high-resolution approach for studying disease models focusing on axon initial segment, axonal development, branching and conduction.
The capacity of these HD-MEA platforms to selectively target specific electrodes enhances the quality of the collected data while ensuring higher reproducibility. Together with the integrated tools for automated data visualization and metric extraction, the here presented systems offer a user-friendly and robust platform for disease modelling and drug testing, supporting both acute and long-term electrophysiological studies."
| Author(s) | Silvia Oldani*, Praveena Manogaran, Simon Sennhauser, Elvira Guella, Laura D’Ignazio, Zhuoliang Li, Marie E. Obien |
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| Affiliation(s) | MaxWell Biosystems |
