‘Alien-cortical’ mice: Can human brain cells grow inside animals?
Summary
Stanford researchers implanted lab-grown human brain organoids into genetically modified mice that lacked much of the cerebral cortex and nearby hippocampus. In a study published in Nature, the human tissue grew and connected to the mice’s blood supply; maze results and responses to low oxygen suggest the animals could help researchers study brain function and disorders, but they did not become human-like in thought or behavior.Key Facts
- Researchers implanted the organoids when the mice were two days old.
- Each organoid contained about 100,000 cells grown from healthy donors’ stem cells.
- The researchers removed about 14 million mouse neurons and added about 4 million human cells.
- The transplant worked in 25 of the 29 mice tested.
- Within three months, the human tissue grew to about five times its original size and filled more than 90 percent of the brain cavities.
- The mice with human tissue performed better in a maze than mice without the implants.
- Some implanted tissue developed von Economo neurons, which are rare cells found in humans and some other highly social animals.
- After exposure to low oxygen, the modified mice showed brain damage, altered gait and poor limb coordination.
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