The brain of the embryo is grown in the laboratory
Last reviewed: 30.05.2018
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In Ohio, a team of researchers in vitro raised a brain copy that corresponds to a five-week embryo.
To realize their idea, scientists have taken the most accurate map of the brain that exists today, and they also needed a large number of donor mature skin cells.
Experts called a copy of the brain - a brain organoid and it took four years and a lot of research to create it. The research team was headed by René Ananda. The aim of the work was not only to provide the scientific community with a copy of the human brain grown in the laboratory, but also to get rid of the ethnic problems that arise when using a real human brain for research purposes.
At the beginning of its work, the Ananda team selected adult donor skin cells, which, with the help of various stimulation methods, they tried to return to the pluripotency stage. As a result, scientists obtained stem cells, which in 12 weeks turned into a full-fledged organ.
Scientists for three months were able to grow a copy of the brain in the size of a brain the size of an eraser on a pencil, but, in spite of the tiny sizes, it had 99% of the genes available in a 5-week embryo.
According to Rene Ananda, to make the set of genes become 100%, it is necessary to develop a brain organoid up to 16-20 weeks.
It should be noted that this organoid is the closest to the real organ, in comparison with previous analogues, which were created in the laboratory. In the brain organoid there are all the main parts - the spinal cord, various types of cells, the retina, the signal circuit. At this stage, the artificial brain does not have a vascular system, which limits the possibility of growth, but due to microglia, oligodendrocytes, axons, dendrites, astrocytes, the organoid transmits chemical signals in much the same way as a real organ.
A team of researchers noted that an artificial model can help in carrying out complex clinical trials of various drugs. In addition, they suggested that maximally similar to the real artificial brain will help to study more thoroughly the causes of violations in the work of the central nervous system, and will also be useful in genetic experiments.
Such statements by Rene Ananda caused an ambiguous reaction from the academic community. First of all, a number of experts noted that the results of the work were not published in any of the scientific journals.
Professor Knoblich from the Austrian University of Molecular Biotechnology two years ago grew a similar brain structure, but there was no middle brain. As Knoblich noted, the Ananda group did not present the functional of its organoid.
Another brain scientist argues that the only way to verify the reality of the Ananda group's statements is genetic testing of certain cells and areas of the organoid. Now there is no evidence that such testing was conducted and scientists doubt that the organelle actually contains 99% of the genes.
In addition, scientists doubt the existing neural connections, which the researchers said and now Rene Anand needs to prepare a scientific paper and show the course of their experimental work.