Mapping the Cerebral Organoid Landscape: A Systematic Review of Preclinical 3D Models in Neuroscience
Abstract
Cerebral organoids are complex, three-dimensional (3D) dynamic models that recapitulate key features of brain development and disease. These systems serve as bioengineerable platforms with diverse architectures and customizable properties, enabling advances in both basic and translational neuroscience. Despite rapid adoption across neurodevelopment, neurodegeneration, and neuro-oncology, the field remains fragmented, with substantial methodological variability and no standardized framework for model selection. A systematic review of 738 original studies published between 2014 and 2024, drawn from 3631 articles across PubMed, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex, reveals that human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebral organoids and neurodevelopmental studies dominate the field. In contrast, applications in neurodegeneration, brain metastases, and non-human systems remain limited, narrowing the translational scope. To address the challenge of navigating this expanding literature, OrganoidMap is introduced-an open-access, interactive web platform for exploring, filtering, and comparing cerebral organoid models across disease areas, cell sources, and methodological features. OrganoidMap enables the identification of appropriate models for specific experimental goals and reveals underexplored research areas. This synthesis establishes a scalable foundation for enhancing transparency, reproducibility, and model selection in organoid-based research, setting a new benchmark for…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in cell cultures (in vitro), not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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