Human-cell brain organoids integrated into mouse cortex open new disease models
Stanford researchers have implanted human cortical organoids into mice lacking their own cortex, creating chimeric brains that are mostly human in the cortical region.
Sergiu Pașca’s group at Stanford has advanced brain-organoid research by grafting human cortical tissue into mice that are genetically engineered to lack most of their own cortical neurons. The human organoids survived, expanded and formed extensive connections that reached the spinal cord, displaying electrical activity across the chimeric cortex. Within months, the cortical volume of these “xenocortical” mice was predominantly human, and the tissue exhibited rare neuron types such as von Economo cells, previously thought to be exclusive to humans.
Experiments showed that human neurons in the model are especially sensitive to prolonged low-oxygen exposure, mirroring aspects of infant cerebral palsy, while the presence of von Economo neurons opens avenues for studying frontotemporal dementia. The researchers stress that the mice do not show enhanced performance on tasks and that ethical oversight has been stringent. They envision the system as a tool for probing the origins of neuropsychiatric disorders and testing therapeutic candidates.
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Why it matters
The chimeric mouse model provides a more realistic platform to investigate human brain diseases and test treatments.
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