How one scientist is growing miniature brains in her lab

LMB neuroscientist Madeline Lancaster generates living models of brains from a few stem cells. In her lab, she takes small samples of stem cells and grows them in careful conditions. When they grow, what develops is a single-function bit of the brain, not at all a full human brain but a small, specific part of the nervous system. These ‘mini-brains’, as she calls them, offer researchers an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of our minds. More…