a:head bio

a:head’s drug discovery approach is based on human cerebral organoids, a revolutionary, paradigm-shifting new technology that allows the generation of mini brains from human stem cells in vitro. They capture the essential aspects of human embryonic brain development including brain patterning, formation of brain ventricles, differentiation into the various neuronal and supportive cell types and their correct three-dimensional arrangement. The technology has been pioneered by the company’s co-founders Madeline Lancaster and Juergen Knoblich and is exclusively licensed to a:head by the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria.