A team of researchers has developed and shared a method for producing brain cortical organoids, which are essentially small artificial brains with active neural networks. This groundbreaking protocol, released by researchers at the University of California San Diego, allows scientists from around the world to create highly realistic brain cortical organoids. The newly developed technique, published in Nature Protocols, opens the door for more advanced studies on conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.The brain’s structure is generally normal, but its electrical activity is changed in conditions like schizophrenia and other neurological disorders. This is according to Alysson Muotri, Ph.D., who is the director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research Center. The SSCI is headed by Dr. Catriona Jamieson, a prominent physician-scientist in cancer stem cell biology who studies how space affects cancer progression.
This new method allows for the creation of lifelike miniature versions of the human brain that are so detailed they rival “the complexity of theMuotri, a professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, has developed a method to create brain replicas from stem cells. These replicas were sent to the International Space Station for study under microgravity conditions, allowing for an understanding of the fetal brain’s neural network. While other protocols for brain organoids are available, they do not enable the study of the brain’s electrical activity. However, Muotri’s method allows researchers to study neural networks created from the stem cells of patients with different neurodevelopmental conditions.Muotri stated that there is no longer a need to create separate regions and then put them together. He explained that his protocol allows various brain areas, such as the cortex and midbrain, to develop together, as observed in human development. He also mentioned that there will likely be many variations of this protocol in the future for studying different brain circuits. According to Muotri, these “mini brains” can be used to test potential therapeutic drugs and gene therapies before being used on patients, as well as to assess their effectiveness and side effects. Muotri also mentioned that there is already a plan in place to do so.Scientists at the Federal University of Amazonas in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, are collaborating to study and document the traditional Amazonian remedies for Alzheimer’s disease. They are not conducting their research on Earth-based mouse models, but are using diseased human brain organoids in space.
A recent grant from Humans in Space, funded by Boryung, a leading health care investment company in South Korea, will support this unique research project. The project involves researchers from different continents and environments, ranging from the Amazon rainforest to Dr. Muotri’s laboratory in California, and ultimately to the International Space Station.
There are also other potential research opportunities for the team.Brain organoids have a variety of uses, including disease modeling, gaining a better understanding of human consciousness, and conducting experiments in space. In March, Muotri collaborated with NASA to send brain organoids, created from the stem cells of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and ALS, to space. The payload returned in May, and the results, which will be published later, are currently under review.
The effects of several years of disease progression can potentially be observed by Muotri, as microgravity replicates a sped-up version of aging on Earth. This allows for the study of the effects during the month-long mission.The study aims to investigate the potential effects of spaceflight on the human body, such as changes in protein production, signaling pathways, oxidative stress, and epigenetics. Lead researcher Dr. Peter X. is optimistic about the possibility of discovering new findings that have not been explored by researchers before. The study was conducted by a team of researchers from UC San Diego and other institutions, including the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats in Barcelona, Spain. Co-authors of the study include Michael Q. Fitzgerald, Tiffany Chu, Francesca Puppo, Rebeca Blanch, Shankar Subramaniam, and Miguel Chillón.The study received funding from the National Institutes of Health grants R01MH100175, R01NS105969, MH123828, R01NS123642, R01MH127077, R01ES033636, R21MH128827, R01AG078959, R01DA056908, R01HD107788, R01HG012351, R21HD109616, R01MH107367, as well as from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) DISC2-13515 and a grant from the Department of Defense W81XWH2110306.
