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Stem Cell-Derived Brain Mimics Predict Chemical Toxicity

Posted by samzenpus on from the close-enough dept.

MTorrice writes: Scientists in Wisconsin have grown three-dimensional brain-like tissue structures from human embryonic stem cells. These new structures are easy to grow and contain vascular cells and microglia, a type of immune cell. The breakthrough may change the way we test drugs and chemicals for their effect on the human brain. Currently most tests use multiple generations of rats and cost about $1 million to test one chemical. “In the near term, the approach might be more valuable to identify pathways and mechanisms of toxicity,” says William Murphy, a biomedical engineer at the University of Wisconsin. “We are gathering so much data on responses of these human brain mimics to known toxic chemicals that we can start to understand the signaling pathways affected by the chemicals. Not just whether, but how the chemicals are affecting the developing human brain.”

16 comments

  1. how the chemicals are affecting by turkeydance · · Score: 0

    effecting, too.

    1. Re: how the chemicals are affecting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you're saying they're causing the development of the brain, not just influencing it?

      I have to disagree with your correction here.

    2. Re: how the chemicals are affecting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      me too!

    3. Re: how the chemicals are affecting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what a maroon!

  2. Currently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Currently most tests use multiple generations of rats and cost about $1 million to test one chemical.

    Those are some expensive rats!!!!

  3. Can it also help to parse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bizarre sentences with two verbs in a row? "mimics predicts"???

    1. Re:Can it also help to parse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mimic is a noun (and has been long before D&D). Mimics are more than one mimic.

    2. Re:Can it also help to parse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2 of 6 slashdot comments, around 33% of what's here, are founded on an inability to read and respond to simple grammatical constructions in English.

      Now that a few years have gone by since "everyone" got on the internet, can we PLEASE take the time to get everyone back up to speed with remedial reading comprehension tests or something?

  4. Save the rats!! by rholtzjr · · Score: 1

    And to think that there were opponents to stem cell research and the benefits it could provide.

    1. Re:Save the rats!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To think, we could have used human brains instead of rat brains all along.

      Why, I know a few people who aren't even using theirs, so this could even be managed more cheaply and with much less cruelty to those poor rats.

  5. The real issue is combinations by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The real issue of toxicity that we completely overlook is the combination of tested and non-toxic chemicals! It is clear that we are really harming ourselves and the environment treating each chemical as a single specific source that doesn't ever combine with anything.

  6. This is terrible, just terrible! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

    If testing for toxicity, especially testing for the subtler stuff that doesn't just kill you outright at a fairly low LD50 but does worrisome things to neurological, endocrine, or other complex system development; gets cheaper, we might be forced to do more of it!

    Just imagine the chilling effect of more predictive testing and less chance to deploy first and phase out kicking and screaming if you really, really, have to... This is a sad day for innovation and progress.

  7. Experimenting on humans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So how is a "brain-like tissue structure" different from a brain in a vat? There may be a person in there, you know.

    1. Re:Experimenting on humans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So how is a "brain-like tissue structure" different from a brain in a vat? There may be a person in there, you know.

      May be a person in there, but very very unlikely.

      Integrated Information Theory

      Analogy: You can't fit a 2-hour HD movie on an old 5.25" floppy disk. Likewise, I'm not sure a person would fit into lab size tissue samples.

  8. WI legislature is trying to stop this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Related news:
    "A wisconsin state Senate bill, and its corollary in the Wisconsin Assembly, AB305, would echo federal law in prohibiting anyone from profiting from tissue donated for research following an abortion, and in making it illegal to approach a woman to make a donation before she has decided to terminate her pregnancy. UW-Madison already follows federal law. However, the proposed state legislation would go further by making it a felony to use for research fetal tissue, cells or cell lines obtained through abortion on or after Jan. 1, 2015."

    http://news.wisc.edu/24037?utm_source=iUW&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=iUW2015-09-24

  9. Isn't this just heuristic scanning? by killfixx · · Score: 1

    This is the same mechanism used during antivirus scans.

    Makes sense to do it with biological machines, too.

    --
    "Helping to keep you two steps ahead of the Thought Police!"