Kolkata Scientists Create Mini-Brains for Disease Research

Team of the city of India, from the department of Neurologists and Researchers, created a mini brain out of real human tissues and blood vessels to study the trigger for a neurological ailment in Kolkata’s (Marwari Community).

Researchers mentioned Spinocerebellar Ataxia type-12, a disease that affects motor nerves and hinders movement. They are now in the process of identifying medicines that will have an impact on this disease. The researcher confirmed that the Marwari community is genetically predisposed to the ailment even stated that SA-12 affects cognitive abilities.

Neurologist Hrishikesh Kumar, head of neurology at the Institute of Neuroscience Kolkata, and led by Sumantra Chattarjee, director of the Centre for High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications, TCG CREST, inspired by conducting a study, two brains were created in India.

Alzheimer's said AS-12 creates effects on gait and movement, and it makes the patient lose balance. It affects the spine and the back of the brain, which plays a major role in movement and coordination. It is because gene type 12 was found in the Agarwal family for the first time. As the Marwari community is small, genetic mutation persisted and remains confined.

Chattarji said researchers are now focused on brain diseases, of which SA-12 is an excellent example. It is a unique Indian challenge that so many patients in Kolkata are suffering from these diseases.

Researchers are trying to understand the specific reason for what is going on in a patient's brain and how it affects the nervous system. It is difficult to go inside the human brain, so creating an animal model for pre-clinical trials was a traditional implementation. Medicine developed based on finding for animal model research doesn’t always work in humans.

We can't take the cells from the brain like other organ we need to penetrate the skull. Extracting a piece of skin or blood from the patient to replicate their brain.

The cells were grown in a petri dish to develop into a full-fledged human brain. It was a replica of the real human brain. Chattarji said it was developed over a month, with all neurons and brain cells. Now, at a point, we have a diseased brain and another unaffected sibling of that patient.

He also stated, We can use neurobiological techniques to analyse two brains to identify and recognise what's not functioning well.