Prima Nexus held a free webinar on brain organoids: how they are grown, checked and used in disease research
On 29 September 2026, Prima Nexus held Growing a Brain in a Dish: The Science of Cerebral Organoids, a free one-hour webinar open to all researchers. Lead Scientist Dr Lim Chong Teik explained how stem cells are grown into 3D brain models, how researchers check that they behave like brain tissue, and what they show about microcephaly and Down syndrome.
· Events & workshops
KUALA LUMPUR, 29 September 2026: On 29 September 2026, Prima Nexus held a free webinar titled Growing a Brain in a Dish: The Science of Cerebral Organoids, from 10.30 am to 11.30 am Malaysia time on Google Meet. It was open to all researchers, and every participant received a digital certificate of attendance. The speaker was Dr Lim Chong Teik, Lead Scientist at Prima Nexus.
Why human brain models matter
Much of what is known about the brain comes from cells grown flat in a dish and from animal models. Flat cell layers lack the 3D structure of real tissue, and a mouse brain differs from a human brain in ways that matter for disease. Brain organoids, small 3D models grown from human stem cells, help to close that gap. The webinar opened with why researchers and drug developers are turning to models built from human cells.
Build, analyse, apply
The talk followed three steps. Build: how induced pluripotent stem cells are grown, over weeks to months, into 3D cerebral organoids. Analyse: how researchers use single-cell sequencing, neural markers and electrical recordings to check whether an organoid behaves like brain tissue. Apply: what organoids show about microcephaly and Down syndrome, and how they are used in drug research.
Dr Lim Chong Teik also covered the limits that researchers plan around. Organoids have no blood vessels, so their centres can run short of oxygen and nutrients as they grow; they stay close to an early, fetal stage of development; and batches made by hand can vary. Checking the starting stem cells, using matched controls and biological repeats, and following one standard protocol make the results more reliable.
Research with Prima Nexus
The webinar closed with the Prima Nexus Joint Research Program, which offers in-kind funding for selected genomic services to researchers in Malaysia. Stem cell and organoid research is one of the areas on our research platforms page.
About Prima Nexus
Founded in 2014, Prima Nexus Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian research, scientific consulting and integrated research support company advancing scientific discovery and healthcare innovation. We provide end-to-end research solutions, from early-stage discovery and experimental design to cell-based studies, preclinical animal testing, clinical trials and commercialization. Our multidisciplinary expertise spans genomics, genetic applications, proteomics, molecular biology, stem cell research, bioinformatics and clinical research. Through strategic collaborations with universities, research institutions, industry and global technology partners, we connect scientific expertise and advanced technologies to accelerate research into real-world applications. Our collaborations have supported more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals and research teams at more than 40 institutions across Malaysia. More about Prima Nexus.
Media and partnership enquiries
Prima Nexus Sdn Bhd, Level 2, Mercu Aspire, 59200 KL Eco City, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Email info@primanexus.com.my or WhatsApp 017-305 1076.
