Just as an ‘electroencephalogram (EEG) cap’ is used to record electrical signals generated in the human brain, the activity of miniature human brain models made in a laboratory can be measured using a small cap.
The mini-brain referred to here is an ‘organoid’, a three-dimensional aggregate of living cells cultured in a laboratory. Organoids, meaning mini-organs, simulate the structure and function of human organs, allowing researchers to observe the development of organs. Researchers also use viruses to modify the genes of organoids or expose them to chemicals and compare them with basic organoids that have not undergone such a process to study changes.
Until now, scientists have not gone beyond looking at just a few cells when studying brain organoids. Although the shape of brain organoids is a round spherical shape, all existing tools used for research, such as a microelectrode array plate containing electrodes to measure brain electrical activity, have a flat shape.
However, the new microcap developed by the Johns Hopkins University research team can wrap brain organoids like a hat, allowing the entire surface of the organoid to be recorded in three dimensions. The more detailed information obtained in this way is expected to help scientists better understand how the brain works. The device could also be used to observe how neurons communicate during drug testing.
recent scientific journalsScience Advances>The microcap is a soft, flexible, transparent polymer shell that contains gold wires and contact pads, according to a paper published in . Microcaps swell when placed in a cell medium, encapsulating organoids measuring only 0.5 mm in size.
One of the study’s authors, David Gracias, a professor of biochemical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said the technology could help researchers look at organoids, as well as prevent the chemicals from causing brain development problems in humans. It could be a cheaper and more ethical alternative to animal testing when researching to make it safe.
“Many chemicals have been linked to brain disease, but there is no easy way to study them,” he said. will follow,” he said.
Inspired by microchips, microcaps can be tailored to fit loosely or more tightly to organoids of different sizes, allowing measurement of the electrical activity of organoids at different stages of development.
After demonstrating that microcaps are effective for one organoid, the team plans to expand the experiment. The research team will set up a production line to make 100 organoids and test 100 organoids at once. These organoids can later be linked to microchips or other organoids. Other researchers in the field of neuroscience could also use interconnected organoids to study drugs and potential treatments for a variety of brain disorders, including autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“Many people think of the brain as an unknown area that we do not understand,” Gracias said. We’ve been thinking about connecting the brain to a computer or to each other. If you can make one mini brain, it is also possible to connect mini brains to each other. This is very interesting,” he added. (By Rhiannon William)