Researchers Mimic Functional Structure of 3-D Human Brain

Scientists are working on the growth of mini brain cells from the programmable cells of beating heart tissue, windpipes and bladders that were all grown from stem cells.

According to Juergen Knoblich, the senior author of a new study that uses stem cells to grow brain tissue, this scientific advancement works to create "cerebral organoids" used via stem cells. These are pea-sized structures made from human brain tissue and can help researchers to better understand important questions regarding brain development and disorders that can occur during the first stages of life.

The organoids have a component that resembles the brain of a 9 or 10-week-old embryo, according to lead study author Madeline Lancaster, a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology at the Austrian Academy of Science in Vienna according to a press briefing via Tuesday. The researchers have worked to create many organoids.

The Austrian researchers coaxed neuron cells into a three-dimensional organization that involves cell-friendly scaffolding materials in the cultures. Their team also used neuron progenitors in ocrder to control the fate of the tissue.

 "Stem cells have an amazing ability to self-organize," study first author Madeline Lancaster said at a press briefing on Tuesday, via the MIT Technology Review.

The study showed that these tissues formed discrete regions found in the early human brain during development, including regions such as the cortex, the retina and structures that produce cerebrospinal fluid.

A press briefing showed that senior author Juergen Knoblich is working to create numerous attempts of the model human brain via creation of cultures using human cells and the complex human organ that has proved difficult to replace.

As their group is working the developmental questions that surround the process, others are investigating three-dimensional brain tissue cultures in the hopes of better treating degenerative diseases or brain injuries. In fact, the goal of identifying certain biomarkers could help researchers mimic cellular activity from the brain and create a mechanical response that could slow the progression of the problem.

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More information regarding the study can be found in the journal Nature.