Scientists Transplant Lab-Grown Human Brain Tissue into Mice

Researchers have successfully transplanted laboratory-grown human brain tissue into bioengineered mice. The human tissue replicated key features of brain development, including the formation of functional neural networks. This breakthrough may speed research into the causes and mechanisms of devastating disorders such as autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and schizophrenia. The study, published in the journal Nature, used a genetic strategy to block development of most of the cells that normally give rise to the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus in the mice. The human tissue was then transplanted into the mice, allowing it to grow extensively and establish functional connections throughout the mouse nervous system. The researchers called the mice 'xenocortical' mice, referring to the 'foreign' transplanted human cortical tissue.