Personalized Parkinson’s disease Microphysiological Systems for in vitro disease modeling

Aula Magna Pacinotti, Scuola di Ingegneria Pisa

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex, heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder for which current models insufficiently capture patient-specific pathology and therapeutic responses. Recent advances in stem cell technology and 3D cell culture have enabled the development of patient-derived midbrain organoids as personalized microphysiological systems. In this talk, I will present our work on generating and characterizing such organoids from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from PD patients. These in vitro models recapitulate key molecular, cellular, and functional hallmarks of PD, including dopaminergic neuronal loss and alpha-synuclein pathology. I will discuss how these personalized systems are employed to investigate disease mechanisms, identify biomarkers, and screen potential therapeutics with improved translational relevance. This approach holds promise for tailoring treatments to individual patients and advancing precision medicine in neurodegenerative disease research