The miniature brains are made of human stem cells. It contains neurons and cells of a human brain and even show evidence of electrical activity that can be measured.
Dynamic Brain Models for Brain Research Emerge from Engineering Control Theory
Models of the human brain, patterned on engineering control theory, may some day help researchers control such neurological diseases as epilepsy, Parkinson's and migraines says Penn State researcher.
Models of the human brain, patterned on engineering control theory, may some day help researchers control such neurological diseases as epilepsy, Parkinson's and migraines says Penn State researcher.
‘The miniature brains can be used for experimental drug testing and develop new treatments for neurological diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s and dementia.’
A scientist at Johns Hopkins in the US says they can be mass-produced in labs to allow new drugs to be tested for safety and effectiveness without the need for animals which often do not mirror how human cells work. "Ninety-five percent of drugs that look promising when tested in animal models fail once they are tested in humans at the great expense of time and money," says study leader Dr Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD, of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
"While rodent models have been useful, we are not 150-pound rats. And even though we are not balls of cells either, you can often get much better information from these balls of cells than from rodents. We believe that the future of brain research will include less reliance on animals, more reliance on human, cell-based models.”
Scientists Develop Pig Brain Model to Study Human Brain
To answer important questions about human brain development, animal scientists Rod Johnson and Ryan Dilger have developed a model of the pig brain.
To answer important questions about human brain development, animal scientists Rod Johnson and Ryan Dilger have developed a model of the pig brain.
The miniature brains are made from skin cells of adults which have been reprogrammed back to a stem-cell-like state, then grown into brain cells, which then transform into mini-brains within eight weeks.
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Animal Testing Methods for Some Chemicals Need Change, Don't Accurately Mimic Human Exposure
A new review suggests oral gavage, the most widely accepted method of dosing lab animals to test chemical toxicity, does not accurately mimic how humans are exposed to chemicals in everyday life.
A new review suggests oral gavage, the most widely accepted method of dosing lab animals to test chemical toxicity, does not accurately mimic how humans are exposed to chemicals in everyday life.
"It also has the beauty that we can do this from essentially anybody,” added Dr Hartung.
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Scientists Find New Method to Reduce the Need for Animal Testing
Researchers must first test new medicines in animals, which is costly and time-consuming, as well as ethically challenging, to determine whether they are safe and effective for humans.
Researchers must first test new medicines in animals, which is costly and time-consuming, as well as ethically challenging, to determine whether they are safe and effective for humans.
“We have been doing work on Parkinson's as an example, which we're publishing because we can really replicate some of the hallmarks of Parkinson's in human brain model."
The electrophysiological activity of the brain was recorded with electrodes. The researchers placed a miniature brain on an array of electrodes and listened to the spontaneous electrical communication of the neurons as test drugs were added.
The research was presented at the annual Advancement for American Science Annual Conference (AAAS) in Washington.
Source-Medindia
