- Peer-reviewed publication validates the potential of Itay&Beyond's human CNS platform for advanced disease stratification, translational research, and future therapeutic discovery
- Proprietary platform enables functional analysis of how human neurons behave and communicate in biologically relevant disease models across a broad range of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative indications
Jerusalem, Israel, March 24, 2026 – Itay&Beyond, a neurotech CNS company with a patient-derived brain organoid platform for next-generation neuropsychiatric and neurological drug discovery and development, today announced the publication of novel data in Nature Translational Psychiatry1 demonstrating that its pioneering brain-on-a-chip platform, derived from patient urine samples, can reveal functionally distinct neuronal signatures across subpopulations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The peer-reviewed study, “Patient-derived Brain Organoids Reveal Divergent Neuronal Activity Across Subpopulations of Autism Spectrum Disorder”, provides scientific validation for Itay&Beyond's technology platform, which combines patient-derived 3D brain organoids, proprietary brain-on-a-chip electrophysiology (used to measure spontaneous and stimulated neuronal activity), functional network readouts, and AI-driven analytics to generate human-relevant insights for neuropsychiatric and neurological drug discovery.
In the study, brain organoids derived from urine samples of 11 individuals with autism spectrum disorder, including 10 with monogenic syndromic ASD across five genetic subtypes and 1 with idiopathic ASD, were compared with organoids from neurotypical controls to better understand the biological basis of the disease. The patients' cells were collected using a non-invasive method and then engineered in a laboratory setting.
The analyses revealed clear differences between the ASD-derived organoids and the control group, both in baseline neuronal activity and in their response to stimulation. Importantly, different ASD subtypes showed distinct electrophysiological patterns, reflecting the biological heterogeneity of the disorder.
The findings demonstrate that patient-derived brain organoids can capture disease-relevant functional differences at the neuronal network level. They also highlight the potential of Itay&Beyond's approach to support earlier diagnosis, improved patient stratification, drug screening, and future therapeutic development.
The published results address a significant unmet need in neurology and psychiatry. Neurological conditions affect more than 3 billion people globally and are now recognized as the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide. At the same time, traditional animal-based models are associated with limited translational predictivity in CNS drug development (less than a 1% chance of successful translation from animal models to humans), underscoring the need for human-relevant discovery platforms.
Itay&Beyond's platform was designed to address exactly this translational gap. By integrating living patient-derived brain organoids with functional electrophysiological readouts and AI-driven analysis, the Company has created a scalable engine for understanding disease subpopulations, screening therapeutic candidates, and de-risking the development of novel CNS assets for partnering and out-licensing.
"The publication in Nature Translational Psychiatry marks an important milestone for us, as it provides peer-reviewed scientific validation and demonstrates the relevance of our platform in one of the most challenging areas of drug discovery,” said Dr. Nisim Perets, Co-Founder and CEO of Itay&Beyond. “The findings also support the broader industry shift toward new approaches and other human-relevant models that may significantly reduce reliance on traditional animal systems in preclinical research.”
“Our platform can support both internal pipeline generation and external collaborations spanning drug testing, biomarker discovery, disease modeling, compound de-risking, and data-driven therapeutic prioritization,” added Dr. Nir Waiskopf, VP of Research and Development at Itay&Beyond. “Accordingly, our goal is not only to develop our own CNS therapeutic assets, but also to establish joint development and out-licensing partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.”
###
About Itay&Beyond
Itay&Beyond is a neurotech CNS company pioneering patient-derived brain organoid technologies enabling functional brain-on-a-chip readouts and AI-driven analytics for neuropsychiatric and neurological diseases. The Company is building a scalable CNS discovery and development platform designed to improve translational predictivity, support disease subpopulation stratification, and accelerate the identification and development of more relevant therapeutic candidates. Itay&Beyond is headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel.
Contact
Dr. Oren Moskovich
Director of Business Development
Itay&Beyond
Orenm@itayandbeyond.com
Hadassah Ein Kerem, JBP, floor 1, Biohouse
Jerusalem, Israel
akampion
Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partner
info@akampion.com
Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68
1 Perets, N., Kerem, L., Waiskopf, N. et al. Patient-derived brain organoids reveal divergent neuronal activity across subpopulations of autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-03890-1
