 Research on human brain development and neurological diseases is limited by the lack of advanced experimental in vitro models that recapitulate the complexity of the human brain. Here, we describe a robust human brain organoid system that is highly specific to the midbrain derived from regionally patterned neuroepithelial stem cells. These human midbrain organoids contain spatially organized groups of dopaminergic neurons, which make them an attractive model for the study of Parkinson's disease. This article was authored by Anna S. Monzel, Lisa M. Schmitz, Catherine Hemmer and others.