Harvard researchers keep human brain organoids alive for up to five years

Paola Arlotta’s group at Harvard University reported a culture technique that keeps human brain organoids viable for up to five years, maintaining the same cell types and gene-expression patterns seen in real brains. The organoids follow a species-specific epigenetic clock, meaning their cellular aging matches that of a human child of the same age. Experiments mixing youthful and older cells demonstrated that younger cells can re-program older ones, accelerating neuron production.

Co-author Noelia Antón-Bolaños highlighted the method’s relevance for investigating developmental components of disorders like Huntington’s disease, which manifest only later in life. Sandra Acosta of the University of Barcelona praised the preservation of developmental timing, crucial for modeling conditions such as epilepsy. The team will release extensive datasets, including over 424,000 cells and 110 organoids, to enable broader research use.