Mind tent: pea-sized mini-brains could help create new drugs
Sechenov University launches a joint Russian-Italian project to grow and study pea-sized mini-brains. These are three-dimensional organic structures based on human stem cells, and scientists use them to identify targets for drug therapy. In the future, this will make it possible to develop a personalized treatment trajectory for the early stages of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as migraines and depression. Read more about where else miniature brains will be useful - in the material "Izvestia".
Why grow mini-brains
Scientists from the Department of Nervous Diseases, Institute of Professional Education, Sechenov University, Ministry of Health of Russia began, together with Professor Vittorio Calabrese of Catania University in Italy to study the features of brain function in migraines, depression and neurodegenerative diseases with the help of artificially grown from stem cell models of organs. In addition, it is planned to test the effect of various substances on the state of the brain to learn how to catch disorders in the early stages and not allow the development of severe symptoms.
Modern technology makes it possible to take a single stem cell from a person and build from it a model of an organ - heart, kidney, eye, as well as nervous tissue, the researchers explained. Such models repeat some of the properties and functions of the original organ.
Grow mini-brains will be from cells obtained from patients with the initial stages of various disorders - migraine, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, as well as some inflammatory diseases, such as fibromyalgia, which is characterized by chronic pain in the muscles. Both the structure of neurons and their interaction with each other will be studied. This will allow for more accurate diagnosis in the early stages, when changes can be stopped or slowed down.
- On the model of mini-brains is easy enough to identify those traces of Alzheimer's disease, which at later stages overlap with increasingly complex changes - explained "Izvestia" Professor Vittorio Calabrese.
In addition, scientists will conduct research in the field of neuropsychiatry, that is, to study the relationship of various mental disorders with organic brain lesions. For this purpose, they will create mini-brains from cells obtained from people with various disorders, from depression to schizophrenia.
In the future, the researchers plan to find mini-brains and other applications. This is, for example, the selection of therapy for specific patients for whom they will create "personal" mini-brains to test the use of different drugs and find the most suitable.
- Mini-brain is a living substance that produces certain substances, and in the future they can be grown and "planted" in the brain of a person who begins to have any disorders to improve its cognitive potential and prevent neurological diseases, - said Vittorio Calabrese.
How nutrition affects behavior
The researchers plan not only to study disease manifestations to better understand their mechanisms, but also to test on mini-brains the effect on nerve cells of various substances, including vitamins, biologically active substances and nutrients (components of food that the body uses to build, renew its tissues and obtain energy).
- It is proved that human nutrition, food nutrients entering the body, affect emotions, thinking and behavior,- said the head of the Department of Nervous Diseases of the Institute of Professional Education of Sechenov University Alexei Danilov. - And the lack of certain substances, such as vitamins D, B6, B12, can lead to various neurological diseases.
In addition, with the help of mini-brains experts will test the use of those substances that have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect. Recent studies show that the basis of many diseases is neuroinflammation, i.e. inflammatory process in the nervous system, affecting the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, added Alexey Danilov.
For example, there is scientific evidence that prevent neurodegeneration, that is, the death of nerve cells, can some polyphenols - compounds that are contained in various plants and give them color, said the scientist.
Vittorio Calebrese noted that some data have already been obtained. He said flavonols (a type of polyphenol) from blueberries and grapes have antioxidant properties and affect brain function, while antioxidants found in olive oil normalize increased inflammatory status and consequently reduce pain in fibromyalgia. They can also be effective in treating mild depression.
- Such brain organoids help to study processes that are very difficult to obtain on a living person. They can be used to see, for example, how neuroinflammation develops. It is impossible to model all situations in a flat cellular environment. And in three-dimensional space organoids imitate a real live brain, albeit in a small volume, - said "Izvestia" researcher at the Institute of Immunology and Physiology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Bolkov.
Despite the innovativeness of the approach and its compliance with trends in personalized medicine, there are several critical points, said "Izvestia" doctor of radiation diagnostics, teacher at MIPT, an expert of the social project "Dementia.net" Anna Khoruzhaya.
- First, although mini-brains are a simplified model of the human brain, they lack the complexity of a fully developed organ, including glial cells, blood vessels and interaction with the immune system. Accordingly, it will be difficult to reproduce all the processes of disease development, especially neuroinflammation, which is considered the most important factor in pathogenesis," she believes.
According to her, in disorders such as depression, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and other listed pathologies, all the above-mentioned brain structures are involved in pathogenesis.
- Second, the emphasis on polyphenols, although supported by some evidence of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects at the molecular-cellular level, risks not being confirmed in preclinical and clinical stages of trials," said the expert.
Although polyphenols can be beneficial, their systemic efficacy and mechanisms of impact on humans in general remain insufficiently studied, she emphasized.
Now mini-brains are grown in a laboratory at the University of Catania, and the results are processed together with the staff of the Department of Nervous Diseases of Sechenov University. In the future, they will be able to grow them in Russia as well, the scientists said.
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