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Brain organoids grafted into cortex-free mice will advance human brain research

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Cell-based models of the human cortex transplanted into mice produce neurons that are inaccessible in vitro, and could enable scientists to link brain injury to behaviour.

By

  1. Marty G. Yang

    1. Marty G. Yang is in the Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1737, USA.

  2. Aparna Bhaduri

    1. Aparna Bhaduri is in the Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1737, USA.

Models of the brain — known as brain organoids — that are built from stem cells have transformed the study of human-specific developmental processes and disease-specific traits. But existing tools are restricted by several factors: organoids cannot mature beyond a certain point; they mostly lack interactions with other brain structures; and it is impossible to get any kind of behavioural output from them. Writing in Nature, Kaganovsky et al.1 address these limitations using an innovative experimental model: an engraftment of human brain organoids into a living mouse.

Nature 658, 319-320 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02967-7

References

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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