Building a Human Brain for Research

It is vital for our understanding of human-specific development, behavior, cognition, and disease that we possess a reliable, manipulatable, and accurate experimental model of the human brain. Historically, the ability to view and manipulate a human brain model system on a molecular scale in real-time was not achievable. However, recent advances in stem cell technologies make it possible to reproduce, at least partly, human brain development in a laboratory. We are now able to replicate human neural cell types, distinct brain regions and produce organoids from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. Here, we address the main developments in producing multiple neural cell types and organoids and discuss how these technologies are allowing an effective way forward to gain functional insight into human brain development and disorders. We conclude with a brief discussion on potential upcoming ethical implications of this rapidly progressing field.