Studying Patient Brain Cells in a Dish: Hope for Neurological Diseases 

Studying Patient Brain Cells in a Dish: Hope for Neurological Diseases 

Collections: Now On Display, Image Award Winners

2024 Award Winner

Michael D. Gallagher, Rudolf Jaenisch

Koch Institute at MIT, MIT Department of Biology, Whitehead Institute

Across biology, structure and function are strongly related. The structure of brain cells is especially breathtaking. Here, astrocytes display the hallmark “star-like” morphology for which they are named, with red and green labeling the expression of two genes important for their function.

To gain insight into genetic risk for neurological diseases, the Jaenisch Lab uses patient-derived cultures of  microglia, neurons, and astrocytes (which provide critical support for neurons) to perform large scale, high-throughput screens to test the function of different risk variants.

a plethora of spidery cells in reds, greens, oranges, and yellows against a dark background

Video

More like this