Improving human stem cell derived organoid models to model human disease: cerebral organoids and beyond.

Most preclinical models, including monolayer cultures and animal models, do not accurately portray the unique features of human tissues. In contrast, organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells display aspects of the complex structure and cell types present in human tissues. The recent application of brain and other tissue organoids has provided new insights into human development and disease processes. Here, I will describe how organoids are generated and provide examples of their application to study human disease. Our current efforts to provide more advanced organoid models that incorporate vasculature will also be presented.