Cortical organoids recapitulate many features of the growing human cortex, including the formation of ventricular units. However, such crucial ventricular structure cannot be maintained beyond 12 weeks under the current organoid culture condition. A recent breakthrough in strategy in the Chung lab has elongated the lifespan of ventricular structures in organoids until up to 20 weeks, which has led to a remarked increase in organoid size among other significant phenotypes. This project aims to develop strategies to quantitatively analyze those phenotypes with computational pipelines and machine learning tools. Work in this SuperUROP project will significantly help our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to such enhanced organoid culture, in addition to corticogenesis in general.

Through this SuperUROP, I hope to deepen my understanding of how computational pipelines can accurately quantify significant phenotypes in vitro. My coursework in machine learning and experience in wet-lab research have prepared me to approach this project from both analytical and experimental perspectives. I am most excited to engage in hypothesis-driven discussions and scientific decision-making throughout the research process.