A New Technical Approach for Cross-species Examination of Neuronal Wiring and Adult Neuron-glia Functions.

Advances in single cell sequencing have enabled the identification of a large number of genes, expressed in many different cell types, and across a variety of model organisms. In particular, the nervous system harbors an immense number of interacting cell types, which are poorly characterized. Future loss- and gain-of-function experiments will be essential in determining how novel genes play critical roles in diverse cellular, as well as evolutionarily adapted, contexts.

Generation of Human Brain Organoids for Mitochondrial Disease Modeling.

Mitochondrial diseases represent the largest class of inborn errors of metabolism and are currently incurable. These diseases cause neurodevelopmental defects whose underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. A major roadblock is the lack of effective models recapitulating the early-onset neuronal impairment seen in the patients.