Human Brain Cells Successfully Integrated Into Mouse Cortex
WHO:
Nature - Sergiu Pașca, a neuroscientist at Stanford University in California, is a co-author of the study.
Nature - Madeline Lancaster, a developmental neurobiologist at the University of Cambridge, UK, commented on the study.
Nature - Giorgia Quadrato, a developmental neurobiologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, provided insights on the research.
WHAT:
Nature - The human tissue developed into specialized neurons, including large, spindly cells similar to von Economo neurons, which have never before emerged in a lab dish.
Nature - Between two and three months after the human tissue was implanted, it expanded nearly fivefold, filling more than 90% of the vacant space and sending projections deep into the rodents’ spinal cords.
Nature - Human brain tissue was transplanted into mice that lack a key part of their brains, occupying most of the vacant space and integrating into the animals' nervous systems.
Nature - The study represents the most extensive integration of human brain cells into an animal to date.
Nature - The human cells expanded nearly fivefold, filling more than 90% of the vacant space in the mice's brains.
Nature - The implanted human tissue developed specialized neurons, including von Economo neurons, which are linked to social cognition.
WHERE:
Nature - The research was conducted at Stanford University in California and the University of Cambridge in the UK.
WHEN:
Nature - The study was published on 16 September.
WHY:
Nature - The hybrid animals offer an unprecedented way to test drugs and study diseases that involve abnormal brain development, according to study co-author Sergiu Pașca.
Nature - The research aims to create a powerful new system for understanding human neurobiology and neurological diseases, particularly those involving abnormal brain development such as cerebral palsy.
Nature - The study addresses long-standing challenges in studying living human brain tissue and the limitations of human brain organoids.
HOW:
Nature - The study's experimental strategy overcomes hurdles that have long stymied researchers studying neuropsychiatric illness in laboratory-grown brain tissue.
Nature - Researchers genetically engineered mice to prevent the survival of precursor cells that would have formed the cerebral cortex, leaving an empty brain cavity for the human cells to occupy.
Nature - The human brain cells were implanted in the mice shortly after birth, ensuring they could not take over complex thinking functions.
(UPDATED September 16, 2026 23:04 UTC)
Researchers have made a groundbreaking advancement by developing human tissue that transforms into specialized neurons, including unique cells similar to von Economo neurons, which have never been created in a lab before. After being implanted, this human tissue expanded nearly fivefold within two to three months, filling over 90% of the available space and extending projections deep into the spinal cords of rodents. According to study co-author Sergiu Pașca, these hybrid animals provide a revolutionary method for testing drugs and investigating diseases related to abnormal brain development.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 22:03 UTC)
A groundbreaking study published in Nature reveals that human brain tissue was successfully transplanted into genetically engineered mice, filling over 90% of the vacant space in their brains and integrating into their nervous systems. This research, involving experts from Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Southern California, marks the most extensive integration of human brain cells into an animal to date, with the implanted tissue developing specialized neurons linked to social cognition. The study aims to enhance our understanding of human neurobiology and neurological diseases, particularly those related to abnormal brain development, and addresses challenges in studying living human brain tissue.