Researchers from the University Hospital Düsseldorf have found a way to study the different aspects of human brain development and diseases. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), experts can generate brain organoids that can produce different cell types in the body.
Previously, researchers used embryonic stem cells to generate the optic cup, which gives rise to the retina, but never managed to integrate them into brain organoids. Jay Gopalakrishnan and his team have managed to grow brain organoids that spontaneously develop optic cups. Their work is the first to generate and integrate eye structures into brain organoids. According to him, “these organoids can help to study brain-eye interactions during embryo development, model congenital retinal disorders, and generate patient-specific retinal cell types for personalized drug testing and transplantation therapies.”
Image credit: Elke Gabriel
#Science #BrainOrganoids #StemCells #InducedPluripotentStemCells #Retinas #OpticCups #LabCreatedEyeStructures