Neural Navigator: a patient-focused tool to map brain-network signals in bipolar disorder and related conditions
Official title: Neural Navigator: Decoding Psychiatric Disorder Signatures from Patient-Derived Cerebral Organoid Network Dynamics
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11337653 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-centered project aims to build a standardized platform that analyzes brain-wide network activity in patient-derived brain organoids to uncover signatures of bipolar disorder and related conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $538,657 |
| NIH project number | 1R01MH143769-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11337653 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia who contribute biological samples to create patient-derived organoids and whose condition could guide future therapeutic strategies.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without access to the required biological samples or those not aligned with organoid-based research may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses patient-derived cerebral organoids and multi-electrode array recordings to map how brain circuits function in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. By applying machine learning to both spontaneous and stimulation-evoked activity, it seeks to identify characteristic circuit patterns that distinguish affected individuals from controls. The study will generate a longitudinal dataset from organoids across several developmental timepoints to establish stable, reproducible circuit profiles. The goal is to advance our understanding of disease mechanisms and move toward mechanism-based treatments in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more precise biomarkers and pathways to target with new therapies for bipolar disorder and related conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary results show distinct electrophysiological features that differ between disease and control samples, with promising accuracy in classifying conditions using dynamic models.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kathuria, Annie — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Kathuria, Annie
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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.