Organoids are miniaturized 3D tissue structures that have mimic the structure of a human organ, such as the brain. But can an organoid mimic not just the structure, but the function of a brain, and can it grow past beyond the small structure? How much can an organoid develop into something that is useful for studying disorders like autism? On this week’s podcast, we interview Dr. Kevin Kelley, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist from @Stanford University who spent that past decade developing tools to better understand the potential of organoids. He explains how he created the organoids and the systems needed to show that they can develop past a few cells, that they make connections with other brain cells, spread out, connect, and function in a model system like a brain. This new discovery provides more hope for utilizing it as a system for better understanding the autistic brain and for screening lots of treatment candidates for people who need them.

OPEN ACCESS: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11032-2