THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Alysson Muotri, UC San Diego Normally if you meet someone who has a mini-fridge filled with brains, your first thought is to call the police. But when that someone is Dr. Alysson Muotri, a professor at U.C. San Diego, your second thought is “do tell … Continue reading Meet the man who is unlocking the secrets of autism and sending mini-brains into space
mini-brains
A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST MRI section of a brain affected by ALS with the front section of the brain highlighted Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nasty disease that steadily attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It’s pretty much always fatal … Continue reading A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
City of Hope scientists use stem cells to develop ‘mini-brains’ to study Alzheimer’s and to test drugs in development
Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. According to the non-profit HFC, co-founded by CIRM Board member Lauren Miller Rogen and her husband Seth Rogen, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S and it is estimated … Continue reading City of Hope scientists use stem cells to develop ‘mini-brains’ to study Alzheimer’s and to test drugs in development
Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia
Dementia is a general term that describes a set of diseases that impair the ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with doing everyday activities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 50 million people worldwide have dementia with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Although it primarily affects older people … Continue reading Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia
“Mini-brains” model an autism spectrum disorder and help test treatments
Alysson Muotri, PhD, professor and director of the Stem Cell Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine and member of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Image credit: UC San Diego Health Rett syndrome is a rare form of autism spectrum disorder that impairs brain development and causes problems with movement, speech, and even … Continue reading “Mini-brains” model an autism spectrum disorder and help test treatments
Stem Cell Roundup: The brain & obesity; iPSCs & sex chromosomes; modeling mental illness
Stem Cell Image of the Week: Obesity-in-a-dish reveals mutations and abnormal function in nerve cells Our stem cell image of the week looks like the work of a pre-historic cave dweller who got their hands on some DayGlo paint. But, in fact, it’s a fluorescence microscopy image of stem cell-derived brain cells from the lab … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: The brain & obesity; iPSCs & sex chromosomes; modeling mental illness
UC Davis researchers make stem cell-derived mini-brains that contain blood vessels
Growing neurons on a flat petri dish is a great way to study the inner workings of nerve signals in the brain. But I think it's safe to argue that a two-dimensional lawn of cells doesn’t capture all the complexity of our intricate, cauliflower-shaped brains. Then again, cracking open the skulls of living patients is … Continue reading UC Davis researchers make stem cell-derived mini-brains that contain blood vessels
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Mini-Brains in the Spotlight
Here are the stem cell stories that caught our eye this week. Two research photos really caught my eye this week and they happened to be of the same thing – mini-brains. Also referred to as brain organoids, mini-brains are tiny balls of nervous tissue grown from stem cells in the lab. They allow scientists … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Mini-Brains in the Spotlight
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: brains, brains and more brains!
This week we bring you three separate stories about the brain. Two are exciting new advances that use stem cells to understand the brain and the third is plain creepy. Bioengineering better brains. Lab grown mini-brains got an upgrade thanks to a study published this week in Nature Biotechnology. Mini-brains are tiny 3D organs that … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: brains, brains and more brains!
One scientist’s quest to understand autism using stem cells
April is National Autism Awareness Month and people and organizations around the world are raising awareness about a disorder that affects more than 20 million people globally. Autism affects early brain development and causes a wide spectrum of social, mental, physical and emotional symptoms that appear during childhood. Because the symptoms and their severity can … Continue reading One scientist’s quest to understand autism using stem cells
The Stem Cellar 