As part of HIDSS4Health (Helmholtz Information and Data Science School for Health ), there is a project on “Analysis pipelines and data fusion for cerebral organoids” which is being worked on jointly by the Institute for Automation and Applied Informatics (IAI) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Heidelberg University.

Organoids are self-organizing three-dimensional structures derived from human pluripotent stem cells, containing diverse cell types and cytoarchitectures that resemble human organs and tissues. Brain organoids, in particular, are an emerging model system for studying human brain development, providing insights into both normal physiology and disease mechanisms, including common and rare inherited disorders.

Brain organoid research integrates heterogeneous data sources, including longitudinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), immunofluorescence analysis, and multi-omics data such as metabolomics and bulk or single-cell transcriptomics. However, a major bottleneck in this field is the lack of standardized analysis pipelines capable of integrating and systematically analyzing these diverse datasets.

This project aims to develop a comprehensive analysis pipeline for brain organoids, enabling standardized data processing and interpretation. By demonstrating its potential in characterizing human diseases, particularly inborn errors of neurotransmitter metabolism, this pipeline will help advance the use of brain organoids in biomedical research and personalized medicine.