Researchers in cerebral tissue breakthrough

[FarCenter]

The Yomiuri Shimbun - http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/science/20081107TDY02305.htm

OSAKA--Researchers have created cerebral tissue from human embryonic stem cells, an achievement thought likely to lead to a breakthrough in tackling Alzheimer's disease as well as pave the way for new regenerative treatments and other drugs, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Yoshiki Sasai, a group director of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, said the tissue also can be created using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

...

Sasai's group solidified about 3,000 human ES cells into balls 0.2 millimeter in diameter, added material that helped them develop into nerve cells, and cultured them for 50 days. The balls grew into mushroomlike objects one millimeter to two millimeters in diameter.

Four types of nerve cells arranged in layers, which appeared very similar to those found in the cerebral cortex of a fetus, were observed inside each of the mushroom-shaped objects. The nerves also sent out electrical signals and showed other functional capacity.

Sasai said brain tissue can be created in the same way using human iPS cells. He said he planned to attempt to create six-layered tissue, far closer in structure to adult brain tissue.

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(Nov. 7, 2008)

[CAG]

1. QUICK! Inject some of these into * and Ms. "Africa is a country"

[Xipe Totec]

2. I guess she thought Africa was the coutry where Afrikaners came from nt

[amdezurik]

3. you mean the "good guys" in that (blessed)Mel Gibson

movie with the black guy?