Stem Cell Models in Brain Development

NEW: 3D-printed Cells May Treat Brain Injuries Neural cells 3D-printed to mimic the architecture of the brain, for the 1st time. A breakthrough technique developed by University of Oxford researchers could one day provide tailored repairs for people with #brain injuries. Study: - Fabricated a two-layered brain tissue - by 3D printing human neural stem cells, - using a droplet printing technique. - When implanted into mouse brain slices, the cells showed - structural and functional integration with the host tissue. 👉 Cortical structure was made from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), which have the potential to produce cell types from most #human tissues. 👉 Key #hiPSCs advantage in tissue repair is that they can be easily derived from cells harvested from patients themselves, and would NOT trigger an #immune response. Future applications: - Evaluation of drugs and therapeutics to promote tissue integration. - Personalized implantation Tx with #3D tissues from a patient’s own hiPSCs Nature | Oct 4, 2023 -- Links in Comments --------------------- Yongcheng Jin, Elina Mikhailova, Ming Lei, Sally Ann Cowley, Tianyi Sun, Xingyun Yang, Yujia Zhang, Kaili Liu, Daniel Catarino da Silva, Luana Campos Soares, Sara Bandiera, Francis Szele, Zoltán Molnár, Linna Zhou, Hagan Bayley. Oxford Martin School, #3Dprinting for Brain #Repair #innovation #technology #future #healthcare #medicine #health #news #management #startups #healthtech #scienceandtechnology #printing #biotechnology #biotech #science #communication #neuralnetworks #research #invivo #neurology #ai #personalizedmedicine #diagnostics  #cell #omics #molecularbiology #drugdiscovery #therapeutics #linkedin #sciencenews #cellandgenetherapy #cellbiology #disease #UK #markers  #neuroscience #electrophysiology #tissueengineering #BDNF #oxford  #engineering #molecularimaging #genetics #neurosciences #bioprinting 3D-printed layered brain tissue (red & blue) using stem cells, which integrated with mouse brain tissue (blue). Yongcheng Jin/U of Oxford

A new study reveals that many genes associated with brain conditions—including #autism, #depression, #schizophrenia, and #Parkinson’s—are active during the earliest stages of fetal brain development. These genes begin influencing neural stem cells, which form the structural and functional foundation of the brain. By simulating nearly 3,000 gene alterations using human, mouse, and in vitro data, researchers mapped how disruptions can affect specific cell types. The study found that many of these genes are not only active early but play crucial roles in brain formation, potentially predisposing individuals to future neurological or psychiatric conditions. This shifts the understanding of when these conditions begin, pointing to prenatal origins rather than later life triggers. Overall, these findings will help pave the way for early diagnostics and targeted interventions. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gh9R6fsY One love #brain #mental #illness

Alysson Muotri, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), has been sending human stem cells to the ISS for years, with the goal of growing brain organoids that model various diseases. Disorders such as Alzheimer's disease can take decades to develop in a person, but studies suggest that the low gravity in space can accelerate aging in cells. So, by studying brain organoids in microgravity, scientists could pinpoint how age-related changes happen and help devise treatments to prevent them.