Live cell and organoid center for brain development, brain injury, and pediatric cancer
Center for Live Cell Genomics
This project builds low-cost, shareable lab systems that grow patient-derived cells and organoids so researchers can better understand brain development, brain injury, and pediatric cancers and try treatments tailored to each patient.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Santa Cruz NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Cruz, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160654 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, the team is creating modular, inexpensive lab rigs that can grow living human cells, organoids, and small tissue pieces taken from surgery or biopsy. These systems use simple 3D-printed parts, common sensors and cameras, and Internet-of-Things controls so experiments are reproducible and sharable across labs. The platform will link tissue growth with on-chip analytical modules to read molecular and electrical signals over long times and test pathway-directed therapies in tissue made from an individual patient. The center also plans education and outreach to train diverse undergraduates and share methods openly so more hospitals and researchers can use the tools.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be children or adults with brain injury, neurodevelopmental disorders, or pediatric cancers who are undergoing surgery or biopsy and can consent (or whose guardians can consent) to donate tissue for lab modeling.
Not a fit: Patients who are not undergoing tissue collection, have conditions unrelated to the center's focus, or need immediate clinical treatment rather than research participation are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let doctors and researchers test potential treatments on tissue made from a patient's own cells and speed up personalized approaches for brain injury, developmental disorders, and childhood cancers.
How similar studies have performed: Patient-derived organoids and tissue models have shown promise for understanding disease and testing drugs, but the integrated, low-cost, IoT-driven organoid 'factory' and open-source ecosystem proposed here is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Santa Cruz, United States
- University of California Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Haussler, David H — University of California Santa Cruz
- Study coordinator: Haussler, David H
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.