13 October, 2025 

The Women’s Brain Foundation (WBF), a global non-profit championing sex- and gender-inclusive brain research, announces the publication of “Modelling sex differences of neurological disorders in vitro” in Nature Reviews Bioengineering.

Led by WBF with an international consortium of neuroscientists and technologists, the review outlines a roadmap for embedding sex as a biological variable (SABV) across all tiers of modern neuroscience — from cell lines to organ-on-chips.

“Historically, biomedical research relied almost exclusively on male models, overlooking critical biological differences between men and women,” said Dr. Antonella Santuccione Chadha, CEO of WBF. “This omission skews data and compromises drug safety and efficacy.”

Key findings:

· Male subjects still outnumber females by ~5.5 : 1 in preclinical neuroscience, limiting reproducibility and driving higher adverse-event rates in women.

· Advanced human-based models (iPSC-derived neurons, brain organoids, organ-on-chips) now reproduce sex-specific biology.

· AI can identify sex-specific biomarkers, refine experimental design, and improve drug safety.

“By marrying next-generation in-vitro models with AI-powered analytics, we can finally see the real signal — and it is often different for women and men,” said Dr. Nicola Marino, researcher at WBF.

Precision starts with inclusion. Embracing sex-specific science unlocks safer, more effective treatments for everyone.

🔗 Read the full paper

🎓 Join the WBF Educational Academy

Support inclusive science — share this research to help bridge the gender gap in brain health.