StarTalk Radio Assembloids: Recreating the Brain with Sergiu Paşca
May 2, 2025
Sergiu Pașca, a Stanford neuroscientist and stem cell biologist, explores groundbreaking concepts in neuroscience. He discusses assembloids—self-organizing brain circuits that offer insights into brain function and conditions like autism. The conversation dives into the development of cultured brain cells and their unique 'brain clock.' Ethical considerations in psychiatric research and the potential for CRISPR technology are also examined. Pașca emphasizes the importance of these innovations in understanding mental health and advancing treatments.
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Brain Repair Limits Over Time
- Early development allows more cell plasticity for repair; adult brain circuits are fixed and hard to alter. - Cellular self-assembly works well only at early brain development stages.
Timothy Syndrome Cellular Breakthrough
- Research on Timothy syndrome used patient cells to identify a mutation causing prolonged calcium channel opening. - Discovered a nucleic acid piece that can restore cellular function and reverse defects in days.
Organoids Transplanted for Testing
- Transplanting organoids into rat brains creates in vivo environments for drug testing. - This hybrid system allows safe assessment of human tissue response in living organisms.