Fully Synthetic Brain Tissue Model Created

University of California - Riverside scientists has engineered a fully synthetic brain tissue model, marking a step forward in neural tissue engineering and biomedical research. This model was developed without any animal-derived materials or added biological coatings, providing a new pathway for more controllable and humane neurological disease studies and drug testing. By using only defined, synthetic components, the team overcame a longstanding challenge with previous platforms that relied on poorly defined animal-based coatings, which made reproducible and reliable experiments difficult.

The goal in neural tissue engineering is to generate structures that closely mimic the architecture and behavior of the human brain for effective modeling and testing. Traditionally, rodent brains or animal-derived coatings are used to grow living cells, but genetic and physiological differences between animal and human brains limit their utility. The new model helps phase out such animal use, aligning with recent regulatory movements to reduce animal testing in drug development.

This innovation centers around a scaffold composed mainly of polyethylene glycol (PEG), a neutral polymer typically inhospitable to cells unless enhanced by proteins like laminin or fibrin. By carefully restructuring PEG into a maze-like network of interconnected pores, the team turned it into a matrix that brain cells can recognize, colonize, and use to build neural networks. The scaffold allows donor brain cells to mature and organize, enabling drug testing and disease modeling that can be tailored to specific patient conditions.

The scaffold was crafted through a process involving the flow of PEG, water, and ethanol through nested glass capillaries, followed by a light-induced stabilization step that preserved the desired porous structure. These microscopic pores enable efficient circulation of oxygen and nutrients, supporting robust cell growth and communication in clusters that resemble natural brain tissue. Because the scaffold is chemically stable, it allows studies to be conducted over longer timeframes—important for investigating diseases and trauma in ways that reflect real tissue behavior.

Currently, the synthetic model is about two millimeters in size, with ongoing efforts to scale the platform and adapt it for other tissues such as liver.

The group’s long-term goal is to develop a suite of interconnected organ-level cultures that reflect how systems in the body interact. They hope these tissue platforms will offer stability, longevity, and functionality comparable to the brain tissue model.

“An interconnected system would let us see how different tissues respond to the same treatment and how a problem in one organ may influence another. It is a step toward understanding human biology and disease in a more integrated way,” explained Iman Noshadi, senior author of the study published in Advanced Functional Materials.