UC San Diego Develops First-In-Kind Protocol for Creating ‘Wired Miniature Brains’ – University of California San Diego

Other research possibilities for the brain organoids include disease modeling, understanding human consciousness and additional space-based experiments. In March, Muotri in partnership with NASA sent to space a number of brain organoids made from the stem cells of patients with Alzheimers disease and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease). The payload returned in May, and results, which will eventually be published, are being reviewed.

Because microgravity mimics an accelerated version of Earth-based aging, Muotri should be able to witness the effects of several years of disease progression while studying the month-long missions payload, including potential changes in protein production, signaling pathways, oxidative stress and epigenetics.

Were hoping for novel findings things researchers havent discovered before, he said. Nobody has sent such a model into space, until now.

Co-authors of the study include Michael Q. Fitzgerald, Tiffany Chu, Francesca Puppo, Rebeca Blanch and Shankar Subramaniam, all of UC San Diego, and Miguel Chilln, of the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona and the Instituci Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avanats, both in Barcelona, Spain. Blanch is also affiliated with the Universitat Autnoma de Barcelona.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health R01MH100175, R01NS105969, MH123828, R01NS123642, R01MH127077, R01ES033636, R21MH128827, R01AG078959, R01DA056908, R01HD107788, R01HG012351, R21HD109616, R01MH107367, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) DISC2-13515 and a grant from the Department of Defense W81XWH2110306.

Disclosures: Muotri is a cofounder and has equity interest in TISMOO, a company dedicated to genetic analysis and brain organoid modeling focusing on therapeutic applications customized for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurological disorders with genetic origins. He is also the inventor of several patents related to human functional brain organogenesis, including the protocol described in the new publication.

The UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) is a global leader in regenerative medicine and a hub for stem cell science and innovation in space. SSCI aims to catalyze critical basic research discoveries, translational advances and clinical progress terrestrially and in space to develop and deliver novel therapeutics to patients.

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UC San Diego Develops First-In-Kind Protocol for Creating 'Wired Miniature Brains' - University of California San Diego