For the first time in India, neurologists and researchers in Kolkata have created lab-grown ‘mini brains’ from human tissues and blood samples to study Spinocerebellar Ataxia type-12 (SA-12), a neurological disorder that affects motor nerves and movement. The disease has been found to be prevalent among members of Kolkata’s Marwari community.
The study, inspired by neurologist Hrishikesh Kumar, head of neurology at the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata, is being led by Sumantra Chattarjee, director of the Centre for High Impact Neuroscience and Translational Applications at TCG CREST. Researchers said two human “mini brains” were developed in the laboratory- a first in the country.
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SA-12 affects gait, balance and coordination, and impacts the spine and the back of the brain. As per a report by The Times of India, according to Chattarjee, "AS-12 creates affects gait and movement, and it makes the patient lose balance, similar to Alzheimer's. It affects the spine and the back of the brain, which plays a major role in movement and coordination. It is caused by gene type 12 and was first found in an Agarwal family. Being a small community, genetic mutations persisted and remained confined. It was Kumar who first told me about it, and it got me interested. He set up the research for us. It was a uniquely Indian challenge, and we have so many patients in Kolkata."
Building human brain models in the lab
The research team aimed to understand what exactly goes wrong inside the brains of affected patients. Since it is not possible to examine a living patient’s brain directly, traditional research often relies on animal models. However, medicines developed through animal research do not always show the same results in humans.
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To overcome this, researchers extracted skin or blood samples from patients and used induced pluripotent stem cells, which can transform into any type of cell in the body. Through molecular biology techniques, these cells were guided to develop into brain cells.
Over several months, the cells were grown in petri dishes to form brain-like structures containing neurons and other brain cells. One model represented a patient with SA-12, while the other was created from an unaffected sibling.
Chattarjee said the team has already identified certain anomalies by comparing the two models and is now working to determine potential targets for drug development. He described the effort as a uniquely Indian scientific challenge and said it marks the first such achievement in the country.
