This is a cross section of a 3D model of the developing human brain. In red are the stem cells of the brain, in green is the neuron network, and in blue are all cells.

This was a Mock infected control for our Zika virus infected cerebral organoids at 14 days post infection (35 days old). I was trying to learn how a cerebral organoid without infectious insult would appear at this timepoint, specifically paying attention to ventricle and neuron morphology.

By characterizing infected organoids vs. Mock via imaging, we can better understand which cell types are being infected and what structural changes are occurring with the different endemic Zika strains.