Emerging three-dimensional neuronal culture assays for neurotherapeutics drug discovery.

Introduction: Development of in vitro models mimicking the physiology and pathophysiology of the brain is essential and remains a major challenge for the discovery of neurotherapeutics. Intensive research efforts over the past two decades led to the development of various two-dimensional/three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models of the central nervous system, and these models have been found to be very promising for studying the pathology of several neurological disorders and for the screening of neurotherapeutics.

Areas Covered: This review highlights various in vitro 3D neuronal cell culture (3DNCC) techniques that exhibit tremendous potential in the screening and development of new chemical entities for neurodegenerative disorders.