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Grow a brain
Megan Davies, Editor, explores the exciting and accidental discovery of growing miniature human brains
OW do you make a minibrain? Methods vary, but you want to start with some human pluripotent stem cells, stem cells that can split into multiple cells when you put them in the right environment– for some other organs, you can use adult stem cells too– and let them multiply. This means that you could take cells from your arm. Unlike in the past, when you had to form two-dimensional chains of cells, scientists have started raising stem cells freefloating in broth, where they aggregate and grow. They will start to form tiny balls,
which you can look at through a microscope, and
see…
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LIFESTYLE
a teeny tiny brain! (roughly the size of a 14-week-old foetus’ brain) How do you maintain a brain without a body? Instead of blood, you give it oxygen, either via broth or by cutting them up and letting them multiply again. These miniature brains are called organoids. Researchers have been using them to replicate human organs; we can’t produce full organs this way, and they lack
Each mini brain is roughly the size of a 14-week old foetus' brain certain impor tant components, but lentils i z e d organoids c a n help understand organs’
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structures. Indeed, where they aren’t researching brains, scientists have been building tiny organs of all sorts: kidneys, lungs… Using organoids is simply easier than invasively dissecting a human and could help us understand diseases such as Epilepsy or Alzheimer’s, or, some imag-
It's helped us to figure out how Zika infections work. ine, to help regenerate damaged organs. Brain organoids have already been used to re-
Organoids lack important elements that would allow them to grow more a rare illness linked to heart issues, malformations, Autism spectrum disorders. It is caused by an overactive calcium ion channel: organoids have allowed scientists to experiment with drugs that block this channel. It’s helped us figure out how 'Zika' viral infections work, and to find several
pounds that can block were tested, in a first dimensions, and then tested in a 3D on orA n use or-
infection. Those instance, in two a selection was environment, ganoids. other for ga-
noid brains sembling m i n i
is asmodels of brains.
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LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE Rachel Jones discusses concerns /EXEPOSEEXHIBIT
F you asked the ‘archetypal’ university student what is their favourite type of alcohol, the response would be A LOT (and for a reasonable price, naturally). Yes, it is undeniably true that alcohol plays a big role in many student’s social lives, whether it be that glass of wine at the end of the day, that one quiet pint (or maybe a few) down your local with some mates or letting loose and ordering that tray of shots on a night out. Apart from the risk of waking up to a rough hangover the following morning, how dangerous can it be? According to a paper published recently in the Lancet medical journal, drinking more than the daily UK recommended limit could shorten your life expectancy.
One unit of alcohol shaves 15 minutes off a person's life So, the first question to ask is just how much alcohol is too much? Ashamedly, I had to do a quick google search to find the recommended UK drinking limits and found that they currently stand at 14 units of alcohol a week for both men and women, ideally spread over three or more days. This roughly equates to be 6 glasses of wine (175ml), 6 pints of beer or 14
shots
(25ml). The aim of this international study was to help bring about a global consensus on the threshold for the low risk limits of alcohol consumption that currently vary substantially across nations. The research consisted of 83 studies across 19 countries analysing the drinking habits of 600,000 participants. The ages, sex, diabetes status, smoking habits and other factors of relating to cardiovascular disease of the participants were also considered. It was found that over half of the participants were consuming more than the recommended weekly limit of 100 g (5-6 glasses of wine) of alcohol whilst a shocking 8.4% were drinking more than 350 grams per week! Calculations from the study suggested that a 40-year old person
cigarette. The main outcome from the research is that drinking more than the recommended amount does increase the risk of developing several cardiovascular diseases and by drinking less alcohol it can help us to live longer. However, there is a little good news. No evidence was found that suggested an increased risk of death for light drinkers (drinking below 100g per week). This means that the research doesn’t challenge
drinking 4 units of alcohol above the daily limit, for instance drinking three glasses of wine a night, could lose one to two years off their average life expectancy.This equates to each extra unit of alcohol shaving 15 minutes of a person's life, on par with smoking a
The UK drinking limit is 14 units per week the claim that drinking a ‘little’ alcohol does lower the risk of heart attacks. Angela Wood from the University
of Cambridge and lead author of the paper has said that ‘despite it (alcohol consumption) being associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks, this must also be balanced against the higher risk of several – and potentially fatal - cardiovascular diseases’. The findings of the study support the new UK guidelines on alcohol consumption and go further to suggest that other countries, including Italy, Portugal and the USA (who advocate a higher drinking limit for men), should seriously consider lowering their recommendations. The authors also wanted to stress the fact that guide-
Guidelines should be a threshold and not a limit for alcohol consumption lines should act as a threshold and not as a target for alcohol consumption. Personally, I think the idea that alcohol is beneficial for our overall health sounds too good to be true. The results of this research should be considered seriously by all nations and inspire support for increased education about the impacts of our sometimes-excessive alcohol consumption. That being said, will it stop me from