Researchers create “mini brains” to advance MS research-Xinhua
MELBOURNE, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from Australia and New Zealand have developed 3D "mini brains" that they hope will speed up the search for treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune condition affecting almost three million people worldwide. The research team used reprogrammed adult stem cells to engineer a human-like central nervous system cell model about the size of a grain of rice, according to a statement released Friday by Australia's Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. The "mini brains" cell model provides a detailed cellular view of myelin destruction and regeneration in human cells, and would allow researchers to see drugs working in near-real time on human cells, according to the study published in Nature Neuroscience. Myelin is a fatty s...