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Young at Brain

Studying the impact of the ageing immune system on the brain using a brain organoid

03 October 2022

Young at Brain

Ageing is inevitable and universal, but understanding the biological processes behind it might help ease the experience and prevent some unwanted conditions that so often come with age. Our immune system ages with our body, but what role this plays remains unclear because we lack good platforms to investigate the interaction between the immune system and our organs, particularly the brain, in the lab. So researchers have developed a human brain organoid – a 3D-printed structure on which brain cells and structures can grow and be observed (pictured, with mature (green) and starter (pink) brain cells called neurons). Immune cells from young and older donors were implanted on the organoid, and markers of ageing arose in brain cells exposed to older cells, suggesting the immune system actively drives some of the changes that occur in the brain as we age, and proving the potential of this platform for further experiments.

Written by Anthony Lewis

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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