Brain organoid models reveal mechanisms linked to virus-induced microcephaly
Researchers at IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences - demonstrate that different viruses can lead to brain malformations through diverse mechanisms by using human brain organoid models. The results are published in the journal
Cell Stem Cell.
Microcephaly, a term referring to developmental malformations of the fetal brain, can be caused by diverse infections during pregnancy. The infectious agents in question are grouped under the general term of TORCH pathogens, in reference to Toxoplasma gondii, Other, Rubella, Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Herpes Simplex Viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), as well as the more recently emerged Zika virus (ZIKV), which was also added to the group. The question whether all TORCH pathogens lead to microcephaly through the same mechanism has remained obscured due to the absence of suitable experimental models. Now, a team of resear
Brain organoids uncover various mechanisms of virus-induced microcephaly eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Brain organoids uncover mechanisms of virus-induced microcephaly
Human brain organoids stained for neural stem cells (magenta) and Zika virus (left, green) och Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (right, green).
Credits: Krenn/CellStemCell/IMBA
A study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet and IMBA – Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences – demonstrates how zika and herpes viruses can lead to brain malformations during early pregnancy. The researchers used 3D models of human brains to study which mechanisms are involved in virus-induced microcephaly, a condition where babies are born with smaller-than-usual heads. The results are published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Wie Viren die Gehirnentwicklung beeinträchtigen heilpraxisnet.de - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heilpraxisnet.de Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The birth of the microbiome
Barriers to embryo research
Studying the early development of a human embryo can be difficult due to the limited number available and ethical and legal constraints.
The International Consensus and National law for culturing human embryos states that embryos obtained by IVF can be cultured up to 14 days post-fertilization and/or the formation of a primitive streak, whichever is first, the Australian study said. The applicability of the 14-day rule to in vitro models of early development that are not derived by fertilization is not clear, the authors wrote. This led the team to be cautious and only culture the blastoids for up to five days.