ORIGINAL: Serious Wonder
Gabriel Sistare
13. Dec '13
Juergen Knoblich, an author of the study, calls the tissue “cerebral
organoids,” and they can be cultured for months, eventually growing into
whole sections of the brain like the cerebral cortex or portions of the
hindbrain.
Although the brain cells can and will be used for diverse experiments, Knoblich and his team are focusing on replicating the causes and consequences of brain diseases or disorders like microcephaly, a condition of the head having a smaller circumference than the mean.
These cerebral organoids are a huge advantage for neuroscience researchers. Many experiments with the brain are done using mice or rats, but these animals are not a perfect simulation of how a human brain reacts to disease or disorder. With the organoids, scientists can achieve a simulation of a human brain and eliminate animal testing all together.
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
Growth of human tissue from stem cells is, in general, a tremendous leap for research science and healthcare. The ability to understand the behavior of human cells without experimentation on actual human beings is crucial. We can leave animals well enough alone now, and we can understand our personal biology without having to make assumptions about how a cancerous rat’s brain relates to an affected human brain. With experimentation on human tissue-derived organs, the time it takes researchers to clarify hypotheses and produce valuable material will be dramatically shortened.
Gray Scott - Digital Immortality - Serious Wonder
Gray Scott, futurist philosopher talks about DIGITAL IMMORTALITY for www.SeriousWonder.com More at www.GrayScott.com
Photo Credit: Discovery News
Although the brain cells can and will be used for diverse experiments, Knoblich and his team are focusing on replicating the causes and consequences of brain diseases or disorders like microcephaly, a condition of the head having a smaller circumference than the mean.
A segment of the organoids cultured by Knoblich and his team
These cerebral organoids are a huge advantage for neuroscience researchers. Many experiments with the brain are done using mice or rats, but these animals are not a perfect simulation of how a human brain reacts to disease or disorder. With the organoids, scientists can achieve a simulation of a human brain and eliminate animal testing all together.
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
Growth of human tissue from stem cells is, in general, a tremendous leap for research science and healthcare. The ability to understand the behavior of human cells without experimentation on actual human beings is crucial. We can leave animals well enough alone now, and we can understand our personal biology without having to make assumptions about how a cancerous rat’s brain relates to an affected human brain. With experimentation on human tissue-derived organs, the time it takes researchers to clarify hypotheses and produce valuable material will be dramatically shortened.
Gray Scott - Digital Immortality - Serious Wonder
Gray Scott, futurist philosopher talks about DIGITAL IMMORTALITY for www.SeriousWonder.com More at www.GrayScott.com
Photo Credit: Discovery News
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