“A team of medical researchers at the National Children’s Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, in China, has developed a technique to freeze and thaw brain tissue without causing damage,” reports a medical website:
In their study, published in the journal Cell Reports Methods, the group tested bathing brain organoid tissue in candidate chemicals before freezing them using liquid nitrogen….The work involved dipping or soaking brain organoids (brain tissue grown from stem cells) in candidate compounds and then freezing and thawing them to see how they fared. After many attempts, they found one combination of solutions that worked best—a mix of ethylene glycol, methylcellulose DMSO and Y27632. They named the solution mix MEDY.
The research team then tested MEDY under a variety of conditions to see how well it prevented damage from freezing….They then allowed the organoids to resume growing after they were thawed for up to 150 days.
The researchers found little difference between organoids that had been frozen and those that had not—even those that had been frozen for as long as 18 months.
As a final test, the research team used their technique on a sample of brain tissue obtained from a live human patient and found that it worked just as well.
In other news, brain implants are restoring cognitive abilities lost due to traumatic brain injuries. Brain implants also could fight depression. Surgeons in Houston report that they can use electrodes to stimulate brains without touching their surface.
The FDA has approved an Alzheimer’s drug to slow brain damage caused by the disease, but it will cost taxpayers billions.
The world’s first blood test for brain cancer may raise survival rates by detecting it earlier.
A Connecticut killer who ate a homeless man’s brain and eyes has been released early.
