Understanding schizophrenia risk using patient-derived neurons and 3D brain models
Official title: Understanding Schizophrenia Risk Mechanisms Via Multimodal Analysis of Patient-derived Neurons and 3D Cortical Organoids and Correlation with Clinical and Cognitive Phenotypes
Funded at Lieber Institute, INC. · NIH-11358437 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests how common genetic risk factors relate to brain cell behavior and clinical symptoms in people with schizophrenia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lieber Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | August 7, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,566,326 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1MH134828-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11358437 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with schizophrenia or related cognitive phenotypes who can donate skin or blood samples to derive hiPSCs and participate in clinical data sharing.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals or patients without schizophrenia-related genetic risk profiles may have limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will use patient-derived stem cells to create brain cells and 3D cortical organoids, then study how genetic risk influences cellular function and its links to real-world cognitive and clinical features. The work follows a standardized hiPSC pipeline to compare high-risk individuals with controls by their polygenic risk scores. By analyzing cellular activity and circuit-like network behavior in a dish, the study aims to connect genetic risk with cognitive profiles observed in patients. The ultimate goal is to better understand how genetics shapes brain function and symptoms in schizophrenia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could improve how schizophrenia is diagnosed and pave the way for targeted therapies that address genetic risk and cognitive deficits.
How similar studies have gone: Similar hiPSC and organoid approaches have begun to reveal links between genetic risk and cellular phenotypes in schizophrenia, with promising relevance to human biology.
Where this research is happening
-
Lieber Institute, INC.
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Maher, Brady J — Lieber Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Maher, Brady J
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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.