28bio launches CNS-3D myelinated organoids to predict therapeutic efficacy

12 May 2026

Louisiana-based 28bio, a neurotechnology company engineering human brains at-scale exhibiting memory, learning, and cognitive functions, has announced the launch of CNS-3D Myelinated Organoids.

The ability to measure and understand the myelination process has historically relied on animal models, where myelin loss and repair occur faster and more completely than in humans, creating a translational gap that fails to reflect the slower, often incomplete remyelination seen in human disease.

28bio's CNS-3D Myelinated Organoids were designed to address the need for human-relevant assay-ready models of myelinated axons, allowing to quantify drug-induced demyelination, observe natural remyelination, and evaluate therapeutic strategies for myelin repair.

An important feature of this model is its incorporation of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes within an organized three-dimensional structure, supporting formation of myelinated axons. This is particularly relevant for mechanistic and drug discovery studies for human diseases involving demyelination, such as multiple sclerosis.

“We are no longer dependent on unreliable animal models to understand myelin disease biology,” said Christopher Butt, PhD, Vice President of Technology at 28bio. “For the first time, therapies can be evaluated in an assay-ready human model that directly measures myelin dynamics and functional neural activity.”

Over the past four decades, multiple sclerosis prevalence has increased sixfold, while disease-modifying therapies have failed at rates exceeding 99%. Beyond multiple sclerosis, impaired myelin integrity contributes to functional deficits across neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s. This challenge is amplified in cell and gene therapies, where restoring or preserving myelin requires precise targeting of oligodendrocytes and sustained functional repair.

“The premarket reception for our CNS-3D Myelinated Organoids has been very positive given the deficiencies of animal models,” said Stuart Gibb, Head of Business Development at 28bio. “The model is available as a service today, with assay-ready 96- and 384-replicate formats shipping globally in Q3’26.”