Brain Organoids Thrive, Mature Over 5 Years
Researchers have successfully maintained human brain organoids for over five years, allowing them to observe maturation processes that mimic human brain development. By adjusting culture media to support neuronal activity, the team has created a new tool for studying neurodevelopment and testing drugs.
Why it matters
This breakthrough provides a more accurate, long-term model for studying brain disorders and development compared to traditional animal or static tissue models.
An international team of researchers has maintained brain organoids, three-dimensional models of human brain tissue, for longer than ever before. For over five years, the tissue continued to mature in ways that closely resemble human brain development. The findings have been published in Nature. By extending the lifespan of these organoids, the researchers create new opportunities to investigate neurodevelopment, model brain disorders and test potential drugs.
The human brain continues to develop until the age of twenty. To study this prolonged process, researchers have traditionally relied on donated human brain tissue and animal models. Both approaches have generated major insights, but each has its limitations: donated tissue provides only snapshots of brain development, and animal brains differ from the human brain in cell-type composition and timing of development.
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