Frozen brain tissue brought back to life in major breakthrough

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses a major breakthrough in cryogenics, where researchers in China have successfully frozen and thawed human brain tissue while preserving its normal function. This new technique could improve the study of neurological conditions.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Cryogenic Preservation of Brain Tissue

1. What did the researchers in China achieve?

• They successfully froze and thawed human brain tissue while preserving its normal function.
• They used human embryonic stem cells to grow brain organoids (small clusters of self-organizing brain cells) and then placed them in a chemical solution called "Medy" to help preserve the tissue during freezing in liquid nitrogen.
• After thawing, the brain organoids continued to grow for up to 150 days, and the team also successfully froze and thawed living brain tissue samples.

2. What are the potential applications of this new cryogenic preservation technique?

• It could improve the study of neurological conditions by providing a more reliable model of living brain tissue with natural pathological features, compared to brain organoids.
• It could enable the cryopreservation and reconstruction of living brain tissue for potential applications such as the study of pathological mechanisms, organoid transplantation for brain injury, and drug discovery.
• In the long term, it could potentially lead to the cryopreservation of entire brains, which could be useful for patients with terminal conditions or for astronauts traveling to other star systems.

3. What are the key challenges in cryopreserving brain tissue?

• Brain cells are very fragile and sensitive to stress, making it difficult to maintain the survival of large amounts of functional neurons during freezing and thawing.
• Maintaining the viability and function of fresh, living brain tissue with specific pathological features is a major challenge.

[02] Potential Future Applications

1. What are the potential long-term applications of this cryogenic preservation technology?

• Cryopreservation of entire brains, which could be useful for patients with terminal conditions or for astronauts traveling to other star systems.
• The technology could enable the study of pathological mechanisms, organoid transplantation for brain injury, and drug discovery using cryopreserved brain tissue.

2. What are the key challenges in realizing these long-term applications?

• Maintaining the survival and function of large amounts of brain tissue during freezing and thawing is a major technical challenge.
• Preserving the natural pathological features of brain tissue is crucial for reliable disease modeling and study.