02173nas a2200301   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001100043653000900054653002000063653002000083653002100103653001700124653002200141653001100163653002100174653001400195653001800209653001500227100001900242700002100261245015600282856004400438300000800482490000700490520136000497022001401857       2023                            d  c2023/110aNDDs10abrain organoids10aDifferentiation10adisease modeling10agene-editing10agenomic stability10ahIPSCs10aneurodevelopment10aprotocols10areprogramming10aStem cells1 aSara Guerreiro1 aPatrícia Maciel00aTransition from Animal-Based to Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)-Based Models of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Opportunities and Challenges  uhttps://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/12/4/538  a5380 v123 aNeurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) arise from the disruption of highly coordinated mechanisms underlying brain development, which results in impaired sensory, motor and/or cognitive functions. Although rodent models have offered very relevant insights to the field, the translation of findings to clinics, particularly regarding therapeutic approaches for these diseases, remains challenging. Part of the explanation for this failure may be the genetic differences—some targets not being conserved between species—and, most importantly, the differences in regulation of gene expression. This prompts the use of human-derived models to study NDDS. The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs) added a new suitable alternative to overcome species limitations, allowing for the study of human neuronal development while maintaining the genetic background of the donor patient. Several hIPSC models of NDDs already proved their worth by mimicking several pathological phenotypes found in humans. In this review, we highlight the utility of hIPSCs to pave new paths for NDD research and development of new therapeutic tools, summarize the challenges and advances of hIPSC-culture and neuronal differentiation protocols and discuss the best way to take advantage of these models, illustrating this with examples of success for some NDDs.  a2073-4409