An Open‐Source Pipeline for Calcium Imaging and All‐Optical Physiology in Human Stem Cell‐Derived Neurons

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Authors: Wardiya Afshar‐Saber, Federico M. Gasparoli, Ziqin Yang, Nicole A. Teaney, Rachel Hobson, Lahin K. Lalani, Gayathri Srinivasan, Dosh Whye, Ranit Karmakar, Elizabeth D. Buttermore, Kellen D. Winden, Cidi Chen
+1 more Mustafa Sahin
Cited by: 2
References: 31

Abstract

High-throughput, single-cell resolution profiling of neuronal activity is critical for understanding brain function and modeling neurological disorders, yet existing approaches are often limited by scalability and manual workflows. Here, we present an open-source, scalable imaging and analysis platform that integrates optogenetic stimulation, calcium imaging, automated acquisition, single-cell and network analyses. The platform enables robust quantification of spontaneous and evoked neuronal activity across hundreds of human stem cell-derived neurons over multiple timepoints, supporting functional phenotyping at both cellular and network levels. We demonstrate the versatility of the platform across multiple disease-relevant contexts, including models of CDKL5 Deficiency, SSADH Deficiency, and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Additionally, we generate CRISPR-Cas9 knock-in hiPSC lines expressing GCaMP6s and demonstrate partial reversal through pharmacological intervention in TSC. By linking single-cell dynamics to network-level measures, this platform provides a generalizable framework for scalable functional phenotyping and high-throughput screening in human neuronal models.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics Cell Image Analysis Techniques Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Science
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
13
Issue
26
Pages
e15887–e15887
Publication date
9 March 2026
Language
EN