The deadly coronavirus, SARS CoV-2, followed by post-COVID 19 complications including Black Fungus and acceleration of Alzheimer's disease in several cases has called in for deeper research in the field of neuroscience. In order to have better study results for neural disorders, Indian researchers have developed a human-based model which is the first of its kind. This model will help scientists in designing treatments for brain disorders.
An India Today report informed that Dr Yogita Adlakha, who is affiliated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was able to generate brain cells directly from a patient’s blood into a dish. Yogita told the leading daily that development of models which can recapitulate the human brain is the need of the hour. About the dish, the doctor said that the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) were converted into neural stem cells in a tissue culture dish. The brain cells had some human-specific features.
The neurological studies, so far, are either based on autopsy brain samples or on animal models. While these models enhance the understanding of neural activities, they don’t give positive results when it comes to drug development.
Talking about the idea behind the iPSCs technology, Yogita revealed that the scientists/doctors can take the patient’s blood and induce iPSCs cells, which are almost similar to embryonic stem cells. She said that researchers are busy developing stem cells-inspired methods to make 2D and 3D models. Such models will be able to exactly mimic brain architecture and disease pathology. "These 3D brain tissues can be generated in a dish and the methods are being developed to increase the production of brain tissues,” Yogita shared. The doctor further stated that once the above-mentioned methods are fully developed, drugs will no longer be tested on animals. This is because the brain tissues will reflect the human brain's architecture and physiology.
According to Yogita, stem cell technology holds great promise for the study of complex organs, the development of novel drugs, regenerative medicine, drug testing, disease pathogenesis, and disease modelling. She revealed that her team has contributed to understanding microRNA’s role in the neural stem cell. The non-coding RNAs known as microRNAs regulate the expression of other genes and have the ability to enhance the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons.
Though India is now stepping into the game and working towards understanding these models, developments in the field are underway in Germany, UK, and USA.
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