Layered 3D human cerebellar circuits grown from stem cells
A Bioengineering Approach to Develop a Laminar 3D Cerebellar Neuronal Circuit for Modeling Human Cerebellum
Growing layered 3D human cerebellar tissue from stem cells to create a lab model that could help people with cerebellar disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11319036 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use human pluripotent stem cells and bioengineering methods to grow the two main types of cerebellar neurons and arrange them into a layered 3D structure that mirrors the cerebellar cortex. They will record neural activity with genetically encoded calcium sensors to observe circuit firing and compare gene expression to developing human tissue using transcriptomic profiling. The team will develop new protocols to produce unipolar brush cells, an interneuron type not previously derived in vitro, and integrate them into the layered model. This lab-based work aims to create a reliable human cerebellar circuit model for studying disease mechanisms and testing candidate therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This project does not enroll patients; it uses stem cells and lab-grown tissue rather than recruiting human volunteers.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate treatments or clinical care are unlikely to benefit directly from this laboratory-focused research in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this model could speed discovery of how cerebellar diseases work and enable testing of new treatments in human-derived tissue before clinical trials.
How similar studies have performed: Previous brain organoid studies have reproduced some cerebellar features, but building a defined layered 3D human cerebellar circuit and deriving unipolar brush cells would be a novel advance that has not yet been proven.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- Seattle Children's Hospital — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Millen, Kathleen Joyce — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Millen, Kathleen Joyce
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.