The Microglia Forebrain Assembloid Model Recapitulates Human Brain Development and Neuroimmune Biology

Microglia are innate immune cells of the CNS whose dysfunction contributes to inflammation and metabolic changes across neurodegenerative and CNS disorders. Across all stages of life, microglia are essential for immune surveillance, neural homeostasis, and synaptic pruning; however, their role in neurodevelopment is less understood. Microglia invade the brain during early neurogenesis, prior to neuronal/glial differentiation, but their potential role at this stage remains undescribed. To model neuroimmune interactions during human cortical development, we created an “assembloid” of human ESC–derived forebrain organoids combined with developmentally matched microglia during cortex formation. Functional contributions of microglia were compared to control organoids using histology and metabolomics.