Spinal cord is a posterior part of central nervous system, developmentally produced by the folding of the neural plate via an embryonic process called neurulation. Defects in neurulation is one of the most common birth defects in human, raising the importance to develop in vitro model recapitulating human neurulation. The advent of organoid technology, which can produce 3D structure resembling parts of organs from human embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells (ESCs/iPSCs), has offered new tools to model human diseases. Recently, we developed organoid model exhibiting morphogenetic features of spinal cord development, such as neural plate formation, neural folding, and neural tube closure and profound production of spinal cord-type motor neurons. Human spinal cord organoids will be a useful tool for assessing genetic and environmental factors affecting spinal cord development, and screening ‘personalized drugs’ for spinal cord diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

• Woong Sun(Department of Anatomy, Brain Korea 21 Plus Program, Korea University College of Medicine)