Pluripotent stem cells produce brain-like organs with "optic cups"
helps to study the interaction between the brain and the eyes
Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, August 18 (intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin) According to a study published on the 17th in the internationally renowned stem cell journal "Cell Stem Cells", human induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) can be used to form "optic cups". "A brain-like organ with a structure (that can form the retina).
This organ-like organ spontaneously develops a bilaterally symmetrical "optic cup" from the front of the brain-like region, which proves the self-replication ability of IPSCs in highly complex biological processes.
The researchers said this discovery highlights the extraordinary ability of brain organoids to produce primitive sensory structures that are sensitive to light and possess cell types similar to human cells.
This type of organ can help study the interaction between the brain and the eye during embryonic development, simulate congenital retinal diseases, and generate patient-specific retinal cell types for personalized drug testing and transplantation treatment.
Many aspects of human brain development and diseases can be studied using 3D brain organs derived from pluripotent stem cells, which can differentiate into all types of cells in the body.
Previously, researchers used human embryonic stem cells to differentiate into the "optic cup", which formed the retina.
Another study showed that "optic cup"-like structures can be produced from IPSCs, which are derived from adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed back to a pluripotent state similar to embryos.
In the past, the focus of the "optic cup" made from pluripotent stem cells was to produce pure retina.
Prior to this study, the "optic cup" and other 3D retinal structures could not be functionally integrated into the brain organs.
In order to achieve this goal, the research team modified their previously developed protocol for transforming IPSCs into neural tissue.
If human brain organoids form a "optic cup", they will appear as early as 30 days and grow into visible structures within 50 days.
This time frame is similar to the time frame of retinal development in human embryos.
Researchers generated 314 brain organoids from IPSCs donors, of which 72% of the organoids formed "optic cups."
These structures contain different types of retinal cells, which form a network of electrically active neurons that respond to light.
The "optic cup" brain organoids also contain the lens and corneal tissue, and show the connection between the retina and the brain area.
The researchers said: "In mammalian brains, the nerve fibers of retinal ganglion cells extend outward to connect to their brain targets. This has never occurred in an in vitro system."
In the future, researchers plan to develop strategies for long-term vitality of the "vision cup" and use them to study the mechanisms that lead to retinal diseases.
Editor-in-chief
The emergence of organoid technology can be said to provide a powerful tool for people to study various tissues.
However, the generation of brain organoids is often a little more complicated for no other reason-our understanding of the brain and its nervous system cannot be said to be very thorough so far.
The brain organoids that appeared this time contain different types of retinal cells. On the one hand, it helps scientists to further understand the close relationship between vision and the brain. On the other hand, this highly physiologically relevant system has brought countless patients suffering from retinal diseases. Here comes the hope of a cure.