Modeling Ocular Developmental Diseases From 3D Cultures of Optic Vesicle Organoids Derived From hiPSCs of Patients With Ocular Malformations

Ocular morphogenesis is a complex process starting as early as the 4th week of embryonic life, involving interactions between varioustissues of different origin and conserved genes. Anomalies in ocular development , often of genetic origin, pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Animal models are limited, so human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived optic vesicle containing brain organoids (OVBOs) offer a promising alternative. These pathological OVBOs, created from patients' cells with ocular malformations, allow for the study of underlying molecular mechanisms and testing of therapies.