Scientists have launched a £50mn UK project to uncover how early brain development links to conditions from epilepsy to autism, opening potential treatment pathways. The venture, funded by the Medical Research Council, will harness human clinical data and laboratory tissue models to identify brain patterns from unborn babies to children. King's College London leads the Centre of Research Excellence for Human Neural Development, partnering with Manchester University and University College London for a seven-year study.
Professor Oscar Marín states the goal is to decipher early signals in preterm and newborn babies to understand brain development. The research involves mapping measurable data in living children against lab findings, using AI analysis to link brain scans of neuron activity with organoid tissue samples. Targets include understanding biological mechanisms behind early-onset conditions like autism and exploring links between oxygen shortages (hypoxia) in preterm babies and later cognitive difficulties.
Organoids grown from stem cells will be analyzed or transplanted into mice for cross-referencing with rodent behavior. Professor Tomoki Arichi highlights the project's potential to illuminate learning difficulties, early psychiatric conditions, and connections to later-life schizophrenia and depression.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing