Generation of rat forebrain tissues in mice. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38670071/)

These scientists wanted to study how different species can work together to grow new organs. They used a special technique called interspecies blastocyst complementation (IBC) to try to make brain tissue in mice that was originally from rats. They found that by using a tool called C-CRISPR, they could quickly figure out which genes were important for this process. They discovered that when a certain gene called Hesx1 was missing, the mice could grow rat forebrain tissue. The rat brain tissue in the mice looked and worked just like it would in a real rat. They also found that the rat brain tissue developed at the same speed as the mouse's own brain, but still had some differences in the way its genes worked. This study showed that different species can work together to grow new organs and helps scientists understand how brains develop and work. The scientists think this technique could be used to study and grow other organs in the future.

Huang J., He B., Yang X., Long X., Wei Y., Li L., Tang M., Gao Y., Fang Y., Ying W., Wang Z., Li C., Zhou Y., Li S., Shi L., Choi S., Zhou H., Guo F., Yang H., Wu J. Generation of rat forebrain tissues in mice. Cell. 2024 Apr 25;187(9):2129-2142.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.017.