Cerebral organoids: scientists grow ‘mini-brains’ that can contract muscle

Researchers from The Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, UK), have developed cerebral organoids that are able to direct muscle movement. This development has the potential to allow researchers to gain further insight into a variety of neurological illnesses. Cerebral organoids have become an important tool, allowing researchers to study brain development and disease. Using cerebral organoids, researchers can model brain functions such as the transfer of information between neurons. However, to date, cerebral organoid growth has been limited; they are grown in a nutrient-rich liquid with little access to oxygen. This has restricted their expediency in research....