Imagine a world where we could create human brain models from real human cells… oh wait! We do! Because of the work of Dr. Madeline Lancaster and her team at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, human brain organoids were created. Before this discovery, the complex anatomical structures of the brain were primarily identified post-mortem. While this approach has led to many scientific discoveries, it is limited as obtaining brain tissue from individuals with specific disorders or at particular developmental stages is often not feasible. To overcome this limitation, animal models have been extensively used in the world of neuroscience research, however, due to the complexity of the human brain, it is often difficult to know with certainty whether or not the animal findings can be applied to humans.
Now, what exactly are human brain organoids? Well, by using pluripotent stem cells (which are cells that can become almost any cell in the human body) scientists created a mini 3-dimensional, self-organizing model of the human brain. These organoids organize themselves in such a way that they develop features that mimic the early stages of human development, and, the crazy part is, they do it without interference. They consist of astrocytes, neurons, and progenitors, all of which are found in developing human brains. During their development, they differentiate into diverse structures and regions that resemble the natural path of development that human fetal cells follow. There are numerous neurodevelopmental diseases that are difficult to study in a human baby due to ethical considerations, therefore, by using brain organoids, researchers have the opportunity to try and understand the early development of disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and even the neuronal defects caused by things like the Zika virus. In 2016, the Zika virus spread through Central and South America causing fetuses to develop microencephaly (abnormally small heads associated with incomplete brain development), and it was difficult for researchers to uncover what exactly was happening on a neuronal level. However, thanks to these organoids, they discovered that the Zika virus in fetuses causes neuronal stem cell death. Furthermore, diseases with early onset such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease can be studied using these organoid models.
These are just some of the many examples where these organoids have been used to uncover the underlying mechanisms of neurodevelopmental diseases and disorders. Now, of course, there are limitations, however, with more research and scientific innovation, these models could become a crucial tool in the world of neuroscience and guide us to further understand developmental variations in the human brain.
Kim, S. Y., & Chang, M.-Y. (2023). Application of Human Brain Organoids—Opportunities and Challenges in Modeling Human Brain Development and Neurodevelopmental Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(15), 12528–12528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512528
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ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I did not know scientists could create miniature brain models that mimic early human development. The fact that they develop on their own is what shocked me the most. Is there any knowledge of how close we are to using brain organoids in clinical settings, like testing treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s? Also, are there any ethical concerns with developing and studying these human brain organoids, like using human brains?
ReplyDeleteI am in awe that we can do this, and this is the first time I have heard about it. It is amazing that even though they are just models of fetus brains, they can still teach us so much. This makes me wonder if we were able to further develop them than the fetus level and genetically encode them for malignant tumors and test new cancer treatments on them. Less false hope to clinical trial patients, probably safer, etc. This was very interesting, thank you!
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