Stanford scientists create chimeric mice with human brain tissue
Stanford researchers reported that they have implanted human neurons into mice, creating chimeric brains that make up to half of the total brain volume, to model neurological conditions such as schizophrenia and cerebral palsy. Earlier work described in a Nature paper showed that lab-grown human brain tissue was transplanted into mice genetically modified to lack a cerebral cortex, where the human cells filled most of the empty space and formed neural connections, providing a platform for studying neurodevelopmental disorders.
Subsequent reporting by Ars Technica noted that the engineered mice displayed limited restoration of brain functions after the human cortical organoids integrated. The New York Post also highlighted the implantation of the organoids into the cortex-deficient mice as a new model for neurodevelopmental disease research.
