Scientist grows near complete brain in lab

Tiny brain to be used instead of rats to test drugs

WASHINGTON // An almost complete version of a tiny human brain has been grown in a dish in a university laboratory in the United States.

The brain is about the size of a pea and equal in maturity to that of a five-week-old foetus. It was grown by Rene Anand, a professor at Ohio State University.

“It not only looks like the developing brain, its diverse cell types express nearly all genes like a brain,” Prof Anand said of his creation.

The scientist hopes that the brain – which includes multiple cell types, all major regions of the brain and a spinal cord but lacks a vascular system – will bring great progress in the treatment of neurological diseases. It was grown from human skin cells and it is claimed it is the most complete brain of its type grown yet.

Prof Anand presented his research at a military health event in Florida on Tuesday.

Prof Anand and a colleague have co-founded an Ohio startup company to commercialise the brain growth system, his university said.

The scientist expects the grown brain will allow easier and more ethical testing of drugs’ effects on the mind, as scientists seek cures for brain disease and nervous system disorders.

“The power of this brain model bodes very well for human health because it gives us better and more relevant options to test and develop therapeutics other than rodents,” Prof Anand said.

It could also be a boon for general neuroscience research as the brain allows a hands-on approach to genome studies rather than the computer models currently used.

“Mathematical correlations and statistical methods are insufficient to in themselves identify causation,” Prof Anand said. “You need an experimental system – you need a human brain.”