Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42674783›Full record

ArticleStem cells translational medicine2026

Temporal mapping of radiation-induced neural injury and mitigation in human cortical organoids.

Ling He, Harley I Kornblum, Aparna Bhaduri, Frank Pajonk

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cells translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ling HeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8692-7530
Harley I KornblumDepartment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3779-4540
Aparna BhaduriJonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4625-6899
Frank PajonkDepartment of Radiation Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4067-9751

Funding

Women's CancersP30CA016042 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Robert Damoiseaux · 1985 to 2026
$134.5M
Use of CTEP portfolio compounds to counteract phenotype conversion in GBMR01CA260886 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Frank Pajonk · 2022 to 2026
$2.6M
Utilizing Radiation-Induced Multi-potency to Increase the Efficacy of RadiotherapyR01CA281682 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Frank Pajonk · 2023 to 2026
$2.0M
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine CIRM; DISC2-14083NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016042NCI NIH HHS R01 CA260886NCI NIH HHS R01 CA281682
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRadiation therapy is a standard-of-care oncological treatment for central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. However, as survival outcomes improve, radiation-induced injury to normal brain tissue has increased in clinical significance. CNS radiation injury is a delayed, multifactorial process characterized by impaired neurogenesis, reactive gliosis, and persistent functional deficits. Mechanistic exploration and development of effective radiation mitigators have been limited by the lack of scalable, human-relevant models.

methodsMature human iPSC-derived cortical organoids were exposed to single-dose or clinically relevant fractionated radiation (5 × 2 Gy). DNA damage, apoptosis, and growth dynamics were assessed longitudinally. Structural organization, synaptic integrity, and neuroinflammatory responses were evaluated by immunofluorescence and real-time PCR. Transcriptomic profiling was performed at 72 hours and 2 weeks after fractionated radiation to capture acute and delayed effects. Two candidate radiation mitigators, NSPP and amisulpride, were tested for their therapeutic effects within the organoid system.

resultsCortical organoids exhibited partial recovery following single doses up to 4 Gy or fractioned irradiation. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that radiation not only reduced overall cell viability but also reshaped lineage trajectories, characterized by depletion of neural stem/progenitor populations, loss of neuronal identity, enhanced gliogenesis, increased inflammatory cytokines, and disrupted cortical layering and synaptic integrity. Treatment with NSPP or amisulpride attenuated injury-associated transcriptional and structural alterations.

conclusionHuman cortical organoids recapitulate key features of radiation-induced neural injury, recovery, and therapeutic modulation, providing a robust, scalable, and human-relevant platform for studying CNS radiation biology and preclinical screening of candidate radiation mitigators.

Indexed as

Cerebral CortexNeuronsOrganoidsRadiation InjuriesDNA DamageHumansInduced Pluripotent Stem Cellsacute and delayed radiation responsefractionated radiationgene expression profilinghuman cortical organoidsradiation mitigationsingle-cell transcriptomics

Identifiers

PMID42674783
PMCPMC13529364

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.