Organoids as brain tumour models: bridging the translational gap.

Abstract

Advances in stem cell-derived brain organoids, enabled by the generation of human reprogrammed pluripotent stem cells, have significantly expanded the repertoire of models available for brain tumour research. These approaches have predominantly been applied to glioblastoma and medulloblastoma, leveraging brain region-specific cerebral/cortical or cerebellar organoids, respectively. Organoids have the potential to close the gap between current two-dimensional cell-based brain tumour models and patients, while helping to address the limitations of animal models. In this At a Glance article, we outline current stem cell-derived organoid-based brain tumour models and how they have expanded our understanding of paediatric and adult brain tumours, including their onset, heterogeneity and treatment. We also describe how these organoids are currently being refined toward more accurate, clinically relevant models and highlight future directions to improve their translatability.