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Researchers have been working to overcome a major limitation in glioblastoma research: traditional lab models don’t accurately reflect how tumor cells infiltrate the human brain. At institutions such as Weill Cornell and others worldwide, scientists are now using patient-derived brain organoids (three-dimensional lab ‘mini-brains’ grown from a patient’s own tumor cells) to study tumor behavior and test hundreds of existing drugs or combinations in a personalized way. These organoid platforms can better mimic each patient’s tumor genetics, microenvironment, and patterns of invasion, and are showing promise for identifying therapies that might be more effective than standard treatments alone. While this technology has not yet been used in the US to guide therapy in large clinical trials, several research centers are actively developing organoid screening systems and working with regulatory agencies to design early-phase studies. We hope that, in coming years, organoid-based drug testing could help tailor treatments to individual patients and accelerate development of new therapies for high-grade brain cancers.