Scientists have developed a novel approach to study the human brain. Pluripotent stem cells are cultivated into organoids or neural tissues and differentiated to represent specific regions of the brain and nervous system called brain assembloids. These 3D cultured cells will allow researchers to explore the onset of diseases, psychiatric disorders and neurological conditions in humans. In addition, the brain assembloids will assist researchers understand the evolution of the human brain and how it develops and matures in individuals. In future, the research technique will aid the identification of genetic markers (using CRSPR technology) to target the application of therapeutic treatments.
The poster is free to download. It was created by Sergiu Pasca from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, and published via Nature Neuroscience online with support by Stemcell Technologies.
Building three-dimensional human brain organoids