Organoid module gives undergrads hands-on neural engineering experience

The field of bioengineering is constantly changing and developing as biomedical research and engineering technologies advance, which means bioengineering courses must do the same. Labs and classes within the department of bioengineering at UIUC are keeping up with the evolving field in all kinds of creative ways, including an innovative course module that gives students hands-on neural engineering practice.

Bioengineering professors Caroline Cvetkovic, Holly Golecki, and graduate student Sarah Lindley recently published an article titled “Biofabrication of Neural Organoids: An Experiential Learning Approach for Instructional Laboratories” in Biomedical Engineering Education on this subject, explaining the importance of practical and relevant experience in novel elements of bioengineering, particularly the sub-specialty of neural engineering.

“The field of neural engineering itself is pretty new and there are very few programs for undergraduate students in the US, though the number of programs offering neural tracks is growing,” said Cvetkovic. “Students would typically not encounter this kind of hands-on wet lab experience with neural stem cells until a graduate research lab.”

This novel wet lab experience available to undergraduates had students work with neural organoids, which are artificially grown, spherical aggregates of cells that resemble some aspects of the human brain. Because acquiring and studying living brain tissue is difficult, organoids are model systems that have become important tools in research. In the spring 2023 semester of BIOE 306 (Biofabrication Lab), students were tasked with addressing various real-world problems in the realm of neural engineering, including developing methods for spinal cord transplantation, creating neuronal networks, and more.

It’s a highly interdisciplinary module that encourages students to draw on several different skillsets and put what was previously just theoretical knowledge to practical use. Their projects required student teams to differentiate stem cells into neurons within free-floating organoids, combine the living organoids with non-living biomaterials, and balance all of the variables involved, while producing a final product that could theoretically be used to solve neural tissue-based problems in the future. To build on the biofabrication foundation of the course, students designed and manufactured 3D printed devices that could hold the organoids while they grew and matured.

“This class really focused on actual physical skills you can use, compared to other theoretical, equation-based classes,” said Samantha Meissner, who participated in the neural engineering module in the spring of 2023. “In this class we got to put our skills to practice and use them in real-world applications.”

“In most of our other classes we read papers and discuss possibilities, but here we did hands-on work which really enhanced my understanding of the material,” said fellow student Tom Huang.

It’s an exciting premise that offers significant advantages to involved students even beyond those initial experiences in the lab.

“Organoid technology is an emerging biotechnology that needs to be integrated in lab courses as it is becoming more commonplace,” said paper co-author Dr. Robert Krencik of Houston Methodist’s Center for Neuroregeneration and Department of Neurosurgery. “Early exposure into the neural engineering field means students can have a major head start and thus can accelerate advancements in the field when they begin their own post-undergraduate research.”

Making this kind of module possible had its obstacles; adapting protocols to the class times and managing an experiment start to finish within just a few weeks meant the students only had time for a few iterations of their 3D printed device, and the neurons in the organoids were not quite mature enough to be active. It’s challenges like these, though, that make hands-on work rewarding. Cvetkovic hopes to continue using and developing modules like this one in undergraduate labs and providing students with that experience.

“It’s so much more difficult to do it yourself than just reading the published research studies – but it’s also more immersive and fun!” said Cvetkovic. “I hope this module shows that even complex experiments can be made accessible for our undergraduate students.”

Read the published Teaching Tips article here.