Tiny, Lab-Grown Minibrains Sprout Blood Vessels

[Judi Lynn]

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | April 4, 2018 06:58am ET

Miniature brains grown in the lab have moved one step closer to resembling the real thing.

Scientists have succeeded in nurturing the growth of blood vessels in minibrains that were developed from human stem cells, and they grew both the minibrain and the blood vessels from stem cells that originated from the same patient, according to a new study.

The simplified, tiny organ, or organoid, was grown in the lab and coated with endothelial cells — specialized blood vessel cells — then transplanted into a mouse for two weeks. During the minibrain's time in vitro and then in a living body, the endothelial cells grew into blood vessels and even capillaries, poking their tendrils into the organoid's inner core, the study authors reported. (Capillaries are very fine, narrow blood vessels.) [11 Body Parts Grown in the Lab]

Despite what their name implies, lab-grown minibrains aren't miniature versions of a working brain. Rather, they're functioning, microscopic models of a brain — up to a few millimeters in length — with 3D structure and containing a variety of brain cells that can transmit chemical messages, Live Science previously reported.

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