human brain organoid grafting in chick embryonic chorioallantoic membrane for neurovascular modeling

Grafting Human Brain Organoids into the Chorioallantoic Membrane of the Chick Embryo

Human brain organoids are an emerging technique that allows us to recapitulate the early development of the human brain in vitro1,2,3. Nevertheless, one of the major limitations of this model is the lack of vascularization, which plays indispensable roles not only in brain homeostasis but also in brain development4. In addition to the delivery of oxygen and nutrients, accumulating evidence suggests that the vascular system of the brain regulates neural differentiation, migration, and synaptogenesis during development5,6. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish reliable models that can provide the missing vascular signaling and structure to brain organoids, enhancing the complexity of human brain organoid generation7.
Among the proposed methods for vascularization, two main streamlines can be considered: organoid engrafting into a living organism and purely in vitro technologies co-culturing endothelial cells and neural cells8,9,10,11,12. Intracerebral transplantation in mice is costly and time-consuming, making other technologies relevant for simpler models. The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay has been used extensively to study angiogenesis13,14,15. In the last decade, several groups have successfully engrafted different types of organoids, including kidney16,17, cardiac18, and tumor organoids19,20, into CAMs. Nevertheless, little is known about the efficacy, toxicity/rejection, physiological effect, and methods to engraft human brain organoids into the CAM. Another interesting and yet unexplored aspect is the formation of a chimeric blood-brain barrier (BBB) between the CAM and the organoid astrocytic interface. Previous pioneering work suggested the putative feasibility of generating a BBB in the CAM by transplanting astrocytes and astrocyte-conditioned medium21,22,23. However, mature astrocytes seem to be unable to achieve this24,25. Thus, the astrocyte-induced formation of the BBB remains debatable, and transplanting human brain organoids would allow us to shed light on this controversy.
This video article describes a protocol for an in ovo human brain organoid transplant into CAM that promotes growth, improvement, and vascularization, resulting in organoids that encompass histologically compatible BBB elements. Here, we present a protocol ensuring the survival of the chicken embryo and report on the permissivity of the CAM to sustain brain organoid growth.

Author Spotlight: Optimizing the Neurovascular Development of Human Brain Organoid in Chick Embryo

Early Unguided Human Brain Organoid Neurovascular Niche Modeling into the Permissive Chick Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane

The key questions I aim to address revolve around the mechanisms and processes involving human brain formation in the context of normal development, as well as various pathological states. This includes investigating the factors influencing brain development, such as genetics, environmental, and epigenetic influences. Obtaining brain organoids that closely resemble the adult human brain, including vascularization, blood brain barrier functionality, the presence of microglia and cellular diversity is challenging.Overcoming this is essential for the development of more physiologically relevant brain organoid models that can efficiently mimic the adult human brain to enhance clinical applications. Through our research, we provide optimal conditions for transplanting human brain organoids into chorioallantoic membrane to ensure good development of the microglia. This clinical improvement is central for forthcoming efforts in the field to generate synthetic vascularized environment for brain organoids.The advantage of our protocol compared to other techniques lies in its high effectiveness and cost efficiency. We have achieved a high success rate in transplanting viable organoids using fertile eggs from farm chickens. In the future, our laboratory will focus on conducting functional assessments of neo vasculature associated with organoids, exploring potential use of this vascular design model for application of intravenous nanomedicine.Additionally, we aim to evaluate the biodistribution of these nanomedicines in the human central nervous system.

Human Brain Organoid Grafting in Chick Embryonic Chorioallantoic Membrane for Neurovascular Modeling

Research

JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

Engrafting organoids into vascularized tissues in model animals, such as the immunodeficient mouse or chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), has ...