Hope for treating neurological conditions heading to space.
- Flavia V. França
- Apr 29
- 5 min read
Understand how neuroscience , space engineering and biodiversity are converging into a scientific revolution.
It was due to the difficulty of achieving a relevant human experimental model for preclinical research that scientists set out to find new methods to consolidate important discoveries in neuroscience.
In this article, we rely on the expertise of Prof. Dr. Alysson Muotri, who helps us understand how science has been searching for ways to overcome this and other challenges, until finding in space the hope for the development of promising studies in the treatment of neurological diseases, such as Autism and Alzheimer's, among others.
But before we get to space, let's go back to our timeline to understand the evolution of the scientific model that gave rise to what we can now call “mini-brains”.
The limitations of preclinical models.
The inability to explore the brain of a living individual significantly limits our knowledge about the progression of neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. Muotri explains that most of the scientific knowledge about diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS) in humans comes from studies of brain tissue collected post-mortem, which represents only the final stage of the disease, eliminating the possibility of exploring the initial events responsible for the cascade of cellular changes that lead to the final outcome, be it structural changes or even cell death.
Animal models are an alternative, but they have an important limitation: they are restricted to monogenetic diseases, limiting the number of human diseases that can be modeled. In addition, technical difficulties, interspecies differences and differences in genetic background end up interfering in the animal model process, even in the case of monogenetic diseases, indicating a clear need for human models.
Cellular reprogramming: the beginning of a revolution.
The original cell reprogramming experiments, led by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka (1), surprised the scientific community by demonstrating that it is possible to induce already specialized human cells to return to their embryonic stage, also known as pluripotent. This procedure came to be known as iPSC (Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells). Alysson explains that it was from this model that scientists were able to demonstrate, for example, that an adult skin cell could be transformed into an undifferentiated cell, with the potential to specialize again into the same skin cell or into any other type of cell, including a neuron.
Modeling neurological diseases in vitro.
Alysson highlights that Yamanaka's experiments turned the dream of many neuroscientists into reality.
“From pluripotent stem cells from atypical patients, it would be possible to produce numerous specialized cells from the nervous system for in vitro clinical applications, such as modeling neurological diseases and using biotechnology to discover or test new drugs.”
As the concept of pluripotent stem cells was tested in neuroscience, new discoveries paved the way for the production of even more complex in vitro structures: neural tissues.
Also known as brain organoids (or “mini-brains”), neural tissues allow the observation of several cell types at the same time, organized in a biomimetic way, mimicking what happens in the real tissue (i.e., the brain of the individual whose cells were reprogrammed). “Brain organoids have already been used to demonstrate the causality of the Zika virus with microcephaly,” recalls Alysson.
New perspectives for the study of pharmacological interactions.
“Being able to develop brain organoids in the laboratory was a milestone in a new era of neuroscience, opening up possibilities for testing pharmacological interactions in different genomes”
By subjecting organoids to different compounds, it is possible to obtain preliminary indicators and infer how these drugs could work in the human brain. This accelerates the process of discovering new treatments, in addition to providing important data to personalize therapies according to the genetic profile of each patient.
Muotri explains that creating personalized models based on the DNA of patients with conditions such as autism, epilepsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has made it possible to study the impact of specific genetic mutations and how they affect brain development.
“Organoids grown from cells of patients with autism have allowed us to observe structural and functional differences compared to neurotypical brains.” These findings provide clues to the causes of autism and may eventually lead to more targeted therapies.
Space in favor of neuroscience
Alysson draws even more attention in this deep dive into neuroscience by declaring that space has also been an important ally in advancing his research. Since 2019, he and his team of researchers have been sending brain organoids to the International Space Station (ISS) with the aim of accelerating the development of mini-brains and understanding, in a short space of time, how different compounds interact in different neural tissues. This is because in microgravity conditions, as happens in space, human tissues age about 10 years in one month.
Amazon rainforest: a potential source of healing.
As science advances towards more complex brain organoid models that increasingly approximate the real condition of a patient, an important research front is also advancing in the search for new natural compounds in the Amazon Rainforest. In partnership with the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), a group of researchers are exploring the Amazon biodiversity in search of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, and other neurological conditions, including autism. From this study, also coordinated by Prof. Dr. Alysson Muotri, the aim is to obtain potentially therapeutic compounds, to be tested in brain organoids sent to the ISS.
Alysson highlights the project's socio-environmental commitment, which, in light of the discovery of new drugs, foresees the return of royalties so that native communities can guarantee their preservation based on Amazonian biodiversity.
This is a practical application of science and technology that is worth following closely. Each achievement in this project will have a positive impact on the lives of people suffering from an atypical neurodevelopmental condition, along with their families and caregivers.
Other projects around the world are also advancing research using iPSC technology to investigate human neurodevelopment and model neurological diseases.
When we asked Alysson about how he sees the future of neuroscience, he responded:
“The potential of cellular reprogramming seems to be limited by human creativity and the ethical principles defined by society. Neuroscientists of the past could not imagine a scenario in which infinite nerve cells from living patients could be constantly generated and studied in laboratories around the world. On the other hand, researchers of the future will be unable to imagine science without this tool.”
Want to delve deeper into the topic?
The stem cell is the mother of all the cells that make up our body. If you want to know more about how a single cell can face such a challenge with such perfection, reading this book is essential.
In this manual-book, Alysson Muotri clarifies with precision, simplicity and humor basic concepts about stem cells, guiding the reader on a journey through time, illustrating man's persistent fascination with regeneration and eternal life.
Alves, Adelson; Muotri, Alysson Renato. It's that simple : stem cells. São Paulo: Atheneu.
Reference cited in the text:
TAKAHASHI, K. et al. Induction of pluripotent stem cells from adult human fibroblasts by defined factors. Cell , v.131, p.861-72, 2007
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