Ann-Na CHO

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of lives worldwide. Cultivating organoids modeling different parts of the brain (such as the forebrain, midbrain, and hippocampus) can be used for in vitro neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative studies. Although 3D brain organoids enable the mimicry of human brain cellular components, their practical application has been hindered by limitations in replicating key native features of the human brain, such as the extracellular matrix (ECM) which is a biochemical niche, and fluid dynamics including cerebrospinal fluid.

Ann-Na Cho combined tissue engineering technologies with human brain organoids to develop a novel tissue-engineered brain organoid (teBO). This was achieved by integrating purely cell-based brain organoids with 3D brain-mimetic extracellular matrix scaffolds and newly designed organ-on-chip devices to recreate the human brain microenvironment. The teBOs generated using this technology exhibit reduced batch variability, larger size, mature brain development and more sophisticated electrophysiological characteristics.

This breakthrough represents a significant advancement in understanding human-specific mechanisms. It serves as a platform for personalized disease modeling and enhances precision medicine by utilizing a high-throughput personalized drug screening platform as a pre-clinical model.

Additionally, the model was applied to simulate neurodegenerative diseases and neurological symptoms caused by COVID-19 infection, demonstrating its immediate applicability as a humanized model for brain-related disorders. 

Her goal is to develop a more sophisticated human brain microphysiological system to apply teBO for pediatric neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders.