3-D Printed Structure Recreates the Brain

A new 3-D brain model could help improve our understanding of brain physiology, providing insights into neurodegenerative diseases and how the brain copes with injuries.

Investigating brain anatomy and biology is an extremely challenging task, given the complexity of the organ, and traditional 2-D culture systems do not actually resemble the in vivo brain environment. A group of researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) in Australia has recently developed a six-layered structure made of a novel biopolymer called gellan gum-RGD resembling the brain tissue. Cortical neuronal cells encapsulated in hydrogels were cultured into this structure and were able to proliferate and form neural networks.