Cerebral Organoids to Model Seizures | Coffee Break Webinar ☕ | Dr. Robert Halliwell

Join Dr. Robert Halliwell from the University of the Pacific as he discusses how human cerebral organoids are being used to better understand epilepsy and accelerate the discovery of new anti-seizure medicines. In this presentation, Dr. Halliwell explains how his lab combines human stem cell–derived brain organoids with Maestro multi-electrode array (MEA) technology to record neural activity, model epileptiform (seizure-like) patterns, and assess the effects of anti-seizure drugs. 🔍 In this 13-minute webinar, you’ll learn: How human brain organoids replicate key features of neural networks How epileptiform activity can be induced and recorded in vitro The role of GABAergic and glutamatergic signaling in seizure modeling How anti-seizure drugs such as diazepam, ethosuximide, and carbamazepine affect network activity Why organoids provide a human-relevant, ethical alternative to animal models in neuroscience research ⌚ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:24 About Dr. Robert Halliwell 01:03 Why model epilepsy and seizures? 01:48 From animal models to human stem cells 03:18 What is epilepsy and why new treatments are needed 03:52 Creating cerebral organoids from human stem cells 04:46 Recording brain activity with MEA technology 07:36 Testing neural activity and drug responses 09:01 Inducing seizure-like activity in organoids 09:53 Anti-seizure drugs and results 10:53 Key findings and conclusions 12:12 Acknowledgments and closing ☕ About the Coffee Break Webinar Series The Coffee Break Webinar Series by Axion BioSystems spotlights innovative applications of microelectrode array (MEA), impedance, and live cell imaging-based technologies across biological research. Have questions or want to present your own research? 📧 [email protected] #CerebralOrganoids #EpilepsyResearch #Neuroscience #AxionBio #StemCells #DrugDiscovery #Organoids #CoffeeBreakWebinar