Researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) have grown a almost complete human brain equivalent in size and structure to that of a five-week old fetus. The brain-in-a-dish was engineered from adult human skin cells and contains 99 percent of the genes present in a fetal brain.

“We provide the best possible environment and conditions that replicate what’s going on in utero to support the brain”, said Rene Anand, a professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology who presented his team’s work at the Military Health System Research Symposium. In 2013, researchers at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, for example, used stem cells directly to grow a brain, which was in fact, larger than the Ohio experiment.

Growing the brain took 12 weeks and it is the first completely formed human brain grown in a lab using adult human skin cells.

And then you can donate your brain clone to someone in Congress who may be in need. We’ve struggled for a long time trying to solve complex brain disease problems that cause tremendous pain and suffering.

“Mathematical correlations and statistical methods are insufficient to in themselves identify causation”. Once the cells become pluripotent, they can be programmed to become any organ in the body.

Director of Research at Cambridge-based Alzheimer’s Research UK, Dr Eric Karren said: “As with any new technique, this “brain in a dish” approach must be repeated in different laboratories and scrutinised by the academic community, before we’ll know its full potential”. “The brain has been the holy grail because of its enormous complexity compared to any other organ. Other groups are attempting to do this as well”.

The goal of the brain is to assist researchers in finding cures for numerous diseases like Alzheimer’s, and Autism. It could also be used for gaining a better understanding of Gulf War illness, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“We’d need an artificial heart to help the brain grow further in development”, said Anand. Looking ahead, they hope to add a pumping blood system, in order to study stroke therapies.