A team of scientists from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology Vienna has just presented to the world the ultimate tool to study the human mind: minibrains grown in a petri dish. The technique presented in Nature, was to create a culture of stem cells able to develop a structure of three or four millimeters in which cells become specialized and similarly to grow as they would in the brain of an embryo a few weeks.
Scientists hope that the model will help explore mental illness such as schizophrenia or autism or to study the development of new drugs without using animal models. Suffice to observe the reactions in these new fabrics and bring them to various tests.
To demonstrate the utility of their model, the Viennese researchers have collaborated with a team from the University of Edinburgh which helped them develop a minicerebro with features of microcephaly, a condition in which the brain grows much less than normal causes permanent disability.
Until now, scientists have recreated in the laboratory models of organs such as the eyes, liver or pituitary gland, but minibrains creating a step further. The model presents distinct areas resembling adult brain regions such as the cortex or hippocampus. The aim of the team is now generating large models and study new diseases.
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