An experiment in which a brain made from human stem cells was transplanted into a mouse was successful.
On the 12th (local time), researchers at Stanford University in the US announced that they had succeeded in an experiment in which brain organoids were transplanted into the brains of rats and operated through the international academic journal ‘Nature’. Nature predicts that the results of this experiment will lead to “in the future, the way to test treatments for human brain disorders using mice.”
Organoids are made by culturing and recombining stem cells into a three-dimensional structure, and are also called ‘mini organs’. The researchers created mini-brains and implanted them into the somatosensory cortex of mice aged 3 to 7 days. The somatosensory cortex is the tissue that transmits sensory information to other areas. After transplantation, the researchers waited six months for the mini-brains to grow.
The researchers tested whether the transplanted brain worked well with the mouse brain. Through continuous training, the rat licked the faucet even when the light was shining on it by giving it water and shining a light on it. Then, when light was shined on the brain implanted with fiber optics, the mice stick out their tongues. Also, touching the rat’s whiskers triggered the mini brain. The researchers explained that “the mini-brain and the mouse brain were successfully integrated.”
This experiment is expected to be used in the study of neurological diseases in humans. The research team created mini brains using stem cells from three patients with Timothy’s syndrome. When transplanted into rat brains, it was found that compared to normal brain organoids, growth was slow and nerve function was poor. Timothy’s syndrome is a congenital disorder that shows cognitive deficits and autism.
Professor Sergio Pashka of Stanford University said, “It is a useful achievement,” adding that “it is possible to gain insight into the development of the human nervous system and the process by which disorders occur.”
On the other hand, some ethical controversies have been raised about the results of this experiment. The idea is to create or harm animals with human consciousness in the future. In this regard, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) said last year that “brain organoids cannot possess human intelligence or other abilities.”
In fact, I wonder how the results of this study will be used for research on the human brain.
Source = Media Bamboo
Arrangement = Reporter Hyungi Kim [email protected]