Lab-grown mini brains may predict which Alzheimer’s treatments will work
Johns Hopkins researchers are using patient-derived brain organoids to predict how individuals with Alzheimer's disease respond to psychiatric medications. The study also identified extracellular vesicles as potential biomarkers for disease progression.
Why it matters
This research supports the development of personalized medicine for Alzheimer's, helping clinicians select more effective treatments for specific patient subgroups.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have found new evidence that small clusters of brain tissue grown from the cells of people with Alzheimer's disease could help researchers predict how different patients may respond to medications used to manage psychiatric symptoms linked to the condition.
The research focused on laboratory-grown brain tissues called organoids. The findings add to growing evidence that these miniature brain models could eventually help scientists develop and select more precise treatments for specific groups of people with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 7 million Americans.
The team also discovered that the organoids release tiny particles called extracellular vesicles that carry cellular information. These particles may offer new biomarkers for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and determining how far it has progressed.
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