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Stem cells

Small but beautiful

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 14, page 665 (2013)Cite this article

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The authors used human embryonic stem (hES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from fibroblasts to generate neuroectoderm tissue. They embedded pieces of neuroectoderm tissue inside Matrigel droplets that provided a scaffold for three-dimensional expansion and were kept in a spinning bioreactor to promote nutrient uptake. After 15–20 days in culture, the neuroectoderm samples had developed into brain-like tissues that the authors termed 'cerebral organoids'. The organoids reached their maximum size (∼4 mm diameter) after 2 months.

Regardless of whether they were grown from hES cells or from iPS cells, the organoids displayed several features of the developing human brain. For example, immunohistochemistry performed on 35 of the 100s of organoids that had developed revealed, on day 16, distinct regions expressing specific markers for the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. Many forebrain-like regions expressed a marker of dorsal cortex, with subregions expressing markers of prefrontal cortex, the frontal lobe or the occipital lobe. In addition, there were regions that stained positive for markers of the hippocampus or the ventral forebrain, structures resembling the choroid plexus and, in 4 of the 35 organoids, immature retinal tissue.

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References

  1. Lancaster, M. A. et al. Cerebral organoids model human brain development and microcephaly. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12517 (2013)

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Authors
  1. Leonie Welberg
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Welberg, L. Small but beautiful. Nat Rev Neurosci 14, 665 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3600

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