Press releases
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5 December 2024
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Scientists know how to coax stem cells into “brain balls,” but these organoids generally contain only the most common and abundant types of brain cells. Sergiu Pasca, MD, the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor II of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, wanted to probe how other, more rare types of brain cells might emerge. His lab group used 3-D printed grids to grow nearly 1,500 brain organoids and exposed them to 14 different chemical signaling molecules with varying concentrations, combinations and timings of exposure. After 70 days, the group sequenced the RNA inside the cells of each organoid to determine which cells had developed.
Overall, the researchers were able identify critical combinations of signaling molecules and timing windows during development in which diverse cell types and brain regions are formed. Their findings, published in Cell Stem Cell, pave the way to a better understanding of how the cells function — and how they may contribute to diseases. |
Transplanted human stem cell-derived cerebellar organoids
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Sergiu Pasca
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Some organoids, they found, contained tachykinin3 (TAC3)-expressing neurons — cells unique to primates that were discovered only four years ago. Others contained Purkinje cells — large, branched neurons involved in motor control that have been notoriously hard to study and grow in the lab. When the new Purkinje cells were transplanted into rat brains, they developed characteristic shapes, something researchers had not previously achieved.
The new “recipes” for creating rare brain cells in controllable, reproductible ways will allow researchers to study how these cells develop and form connections; to probe their functions; and to explore how these cell types could contribute to conditions such as autism, intellectual disability and schizophrenia. The study also lays the foundation for additional, larger screenings of chemicals and conditions that lead to other brain cell types.
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