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Title : Scientists grow 'mini brains' which are able to contract muscles and connect to the spinal cord
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Scientists grow 'mini brains' which are able to contract muscles and connect to the spinal cord

Scientists grow 'mini BRAINS' which can control muscles and connect to the spinal cord in a breakthrough that could help stroke patients and suffers of motor neuron disease

• The organoid  is made of human stem cells and grew to the size of a lentil 
• It replicates what a foetal brain looked like at 12-16 weeks of pregnancy
• Scientists saw it merge with a spinal cord and contract muscle cells nearby  

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Published: 17:41 GMT, 18 March 2019 | Updated: 01:59 GMT, 19 March 2019

Mini brains have been grown in a lab by scientists striving to cure motor neuron disease. 

The tiny organoid - approximately the size of a lentil - was made of connected human brain cells.

It was then able to create connections with nearby spinal cord and muscular tissue. 

Scientists say they were able to see it spontaneously merge with the spinal cord of the animal while also contracting the muscles.  

The tiny organoid - approximately the size of a lentil - was made of connected human brain cells. This image shows the millions of joined nerve cells similar in capacity to the cockroach and zebrafish brain 

Madeline Lancaster, who led the work at the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, told The Guardian: 'We like to think of them as mini-brains on the move.' 

The structures were grown from human stem cells and using a method which allowed for the organoids to grow for longer than previous experiments. 

Stefano Giandomenico, a researcher in the group, helped develop a method for growing a slice of cerebral organoids on a membrane at the air-liquid interface. 

This gives access to the nutrient-rich liquid media below and oxygen in the air above and allowed the mini-brain model to be maintained in the dish for longer, so that it could mature further. 

It had similar structures and processes to that of a developing human brain at 12-16 weeks of pregnancy. 

'It's still a good idea to have that discussion every time we take it a step further,' said Dr Lancaster. 

'But we agree generally that we're still very far away from that.' 

It contains millions of joined nerve cells similar in capacity to the cockroach and zebrafish. 

It could have important implications for our understanding of a range of diseases, including schizophrenia, autism, and depression. 

A stained cross-section of a brain organoid showing a previous breakthrough that blood vessels (in red) have penetrated both the outer, more organised layers and the inner core. This will allow larger organs to be developed in the future

Similarly, this model could shed light on conditions in which connectivity is disrupted, such as stroke or dementia. 

Although this new approach allows better maturation of mini-brains, they are still very small and lack the full repertoire and organisation of brain regions that are required for higher cognition.

Nevertheless, they have the potential to significantly increase our knowledge and understanding of neuronal development. 

The findings are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. 

CAN SCIENTISTS GROW HUMAN ORGANS IN THE LAB? 

Human transplants traditionally require the donated organ of a living or deceased owner.

The recipient and the donor must have very similar tissue types as to ensure the organ is not rejected. 

Whilst experts try to minimise this risk, organs can fail post-operation for a variety of reasons. 

However, certain operations that move a person's tissue to another part of their body in a process called a muscoskeletal graft rarely ever fail.

For example, in a knee reconstruction ligaments and tendons can be taken from other areas of the same patients body without fear of rejection.

For entire organs this is obviously impossible, but researchers are applying the same principle. 

By using stem cells taken directly from the patient, scientists can develop these cells into cultures that are genetically identical to the patient. 

Currently, the technology is in its infancy and the cell cultures remain simple.

However, as the field progresses there have been a number of notable moments. 

Scientists first succeeded in culturing human embryonic stem cells in 1998.

A young boy was cured of his skin condition with artificial skin that was grown in a lab and then applied to his body. 

Mice with excess cartilage have been grown to produce human ears and scientists have succeeded in growing cruelty-free meat from lab cultures.  

Experts predict that using scaffolds or 3D printing foundations could allow macro-scale development of complex organs 

Whilst still developing, the technology show promise for future treatments. 

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