Lab Grown Brain Developed By Researchers - http://clapway.com/2015/08/23/lab-grown-brain-developed-by-researchers-322/

LAB GROWN BRAIN DISRUPTS SCIENCE AS WE KNOW IT

Welcome to science as we know it. Science across all fields seems to make news every day of our lives for one reason or another, some good, other times bad. But in recent science news, researchers from Ohio State University have done what seems to be impossible: they’ve grown a brain.

One has to wonder at not only the oddity of this, but just how this feat was even possible. Some might even question whether or not a live specimen was part of it, but no, it is not.

Other than all of those qualms and misgivings, this brain was developed in a lab. On the 18th of August, Ohio State University released a press release regarding their ready-for-presentation lab grown brain.

IS THIS A FETAL BRAIN IN THIS PETRI DISH?

According to the release, so far, this lab grown brain was as mentally developed as a five-week-old fetus. Thus, it is quite small in size, only about the size of a pencil eraser! Professor of biological chemistry at Ohio State University, Rene Anand, said that this brain is the most completely developed brain model to date. This lab grown brain consists of adult human skin cells and is developing along the same pattern of development that a fetal brain would.

HOW A LAB GROWN BRAIN CAN BETTER THE WORLD

With such a brain model made to mimic a particular life phase, experimental drug testing can be done on the lab grown brain models instead of using rats. Such testing could include tests for neurological disorders, as well as other health concerns involving the brain. Anand commented that this new way of testing drugs on a pseudo brain is profound as it is more relevant and shows what the reaction could be on humans.

RELATED: MICE CAN DREAM OF A WORLD IN WHICH THEY’RE NOT TEST SUBJECTS

SHARING A BRAIN WITH THE WORLD

The same day the press release was made available to the public for consumption, Anand also shared the findings and news of the lab grown brain with the people at the 2015 Military Health System Research Symposium in Fort Lauderdale. More information about the event or symposium can be found on their site.

However, despite the accomplishment of the lab grown brain model, the researchers are hoping to accomplish more things with the brain. The hope with this lab grown brain is to eventually be available for other research studies such as stroke therapy studies among other things.

RELATED: BRAINS & MEMORIES

---

Check out the News In Review with Clapway — brought to you by Brandi and Samsung!:

Lab Grown Brain Developed By Researchers

New Brain Imaging Tool Emerges - http://clapway.com/2015/08/01/new-brain-imaging-tool-emerges567/

Fascination with the Brain

For a long time the brain, or the mind in general, have been the focus of scientific research, philosophical debates, and inquiry. Which is why it comes as no surprise to continuously find new discoveries from research conducted on the brain every year in some form or another. The fascination with the brain has led to the implementation of brain imaging in the medical field in order to allow for a non-invasive diagnostic approach, so one’s privacy and person is violated.

The Exciting News

The new research released dealing with brain imaging published in ‘Cell’ on July 30, is really exciting. The study presents to the public the introduction of a new imaging tool that can take brain imaging down to the nano levels. Talk about small scale stuff. But also brings new medical and scientific possibilities to the forefront for researchers to experiment with.

Who is responsible for the new brain imaging method?

The research came from a team at Harvard University also responsible for building the tool needed for the nano scale imaging. The tool enabled the team to examine things at one billionth of a meter. To show how the new imaging works and the wonders it presents, the team also released a video of a mouse’s brain imaging scan. The response to the finding for the team was extraordinary, because the level of things the realized were undiscovered. When they considered the brain structure, they had no idea that the brain was such a patterned and complex piece of tissue. So what’s next for the team? Well now that the data and research is available to the public, they are partnering with Argonne National Laboratory in order to create a national brain lab neuroscientists can use later down the line. After all such a discovery is beneficial to all, but also will be interesting to see what new research with the brain imaging tool will bring.

---

 

Scientists may have discovered a better way to scan the mind, but this virtual reality headset will blow your mind

New Brain Imaging Tool Emerges