Researchers at Stanford University are the first team to successfully transplant stem cell-derived human cortical organoids (hCOs) into developing rat somatosensory cortex. Their work “Maturation and circuit integration of transplanted human cortical organoids” was published by Nature on October 12, 2022, and demonstrates that the human-derived cells fully integrate into the rat nervous system. The Stanford team, led by Sergiu Paṣca were able to grow and differentiate transplanted cells alongside the developing rat tissue, generating robust cellular diversity, and establishing meaningful functional connections throughout the brain. They monitored the development and function of these hCO implants using a combination of methods. To confirm placement and growth of implants, they imaged the transplanted brains with a Bruker BioSpec 7T MRI. Once hCO transplants were confirmed and allowed to develop, they were able to measure sensory responses in these now fully integrated human cells using the Bruker Ultima 2Pplus Multiphoton Microscope.
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