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 Johns Hopkins researchers studied miniature models of the hindbrain, a region at the back of the skull that helps control essential functions such as breathing, sleep and heart rate.
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Turning Patient Blood Cells Into Brain Tissue The researchers began with blood samples collected with permission from people with Alzheimer's disease at the NIH-funded Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
Using induced pluripotent stem cells from people with Alzheimer's disease and healthy individuals, the team created hindbrain organoids containing specialized brain cells, or neurons, that produce the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Compared with organoids created from healthy individuals, those grown from the cells of people with Alzheimer's showed differences in proteins involved in communication between brain cells, inflammation, and pathways associated with the disease.
Credit: Machairaki lab Scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine report new evidence that clusters of brain tissue derived from the cells of patients with Alzheimer's disease may be used to evaluate how certain patients with the neurodegenerative condition may respond to drugs commonly prescribed to treat psychiatric symptoms of the disorder.
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The findings, based on a study of lab-grown brain tissues known as organoids, contribute to a growing body of evidence that brain organoids may also one day be used to more precisely develop and prescribe treatments for subgroups of patients with Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common form of dementia, and affects more than seven million Americans.
Credit: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins team set out to analyze mini-models of the hindbrain, the brain's command center in the back of the skull that regulates vital functions including breathing, sleep and heart rate.
From blood samples collected with permission from patients with Alzheimer's disease at the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, the scientists coaxed blood cells to turn back their internal clocks to become induced pluripotent stem cells, which can turn into any cell type within the body.
Boyd et al, Proteomic profiling of brain organoids and extracellular vesicles identifies early Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and drug response heterogeneity, Alzheimer's & Dementia (2026).
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