Researchers in Sweden have developed a lab-grown human brain model that could help prevent brain damage in premature babies. Using this advanced system, scientists were able to observe, for the first time, how cerebral hemorrhages affect neural stem cells during preterm birth and test a potential treatment that significantly reduced damage. The study was led by teams from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Karolinska Institutet, and Lund and Malmö Universities.
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is one of the most serious neurological complications in premature infants. When red blood cells leak into the brain’s subventricular zone (SVZ) and break down, they release inflammatory molecules such as interleukin-1 (IL-1). These immune signals cause neural stem cells to lose their flexibility and prematurely transform into other cell types, or stop developing entirely.
“Instead of remaining ready to grow into various brain cells, the stem cells start changing too early or stop growing altogether,” explains Professor Anna Herland, senior lecturer at the AIMES research center (a joint initiative of KTH and Karolinska). “This disrupts brain development and increases the risk of long-term neurological impairment.”
A breakthrough human-based model
Until now, most studies on IVH relied on animal models, which only partially represent human brain biology. To bridge that gap, the Swedish research team collaborated with Ege University in Turkey and Harvard University to build an in vitro model using human stem-cell-derived brain tissue. This “mini-brain” accurately mimics how human neural stem cells and glial cells respond to bleeding in the brain, offering a new way to study inflammation and tissue repair.
Herland calls it “one of the most complex and realistic in vitro brain models ever developed.” It allowed the team to test, for the first time, a targeted antidote, an IL-1 antagonist, that successfully reduced the inflammatory response and offered partial protection to neural stem cells. The study was recently published in Advanced Science.
Toward better therapies for premature infants
The researchers also analyzed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from infants with cerebral hemorrhage. They found that although CSF triggered similar cellular changes, the effects were milder due to lower toxin concentrations and the presence of protective nutrients and anti-inflammatory proteins.
The study’s results mark a major step toward identifying safe, effective treatments for preterm brain injury. “There is currently no established therapy for these infants,” says Herland. “Our model allows us to test potential interventions in a human-relevant system, without risking patient safety. Next, we aim to expand the model to simulate different levels of injury and test more promising drugs.”
With its combination of precision bioengineering and clinical relevance, this breakthrough could help transform neonatal medicine, offering new hope for protecting the most vulnerable patients from lifelong neurological damage.
Brain-on-a-chip
A few weeks ago, we reported on an innovative brain-on-a-chip technology that makes it possible to investigate how the brain protects itself and why this sometimes goes wrong in conditions such as sepsis or neurodegenerative diseases. Instead of animal testing, the researchers use microchips with human tissue to study the functioning of the blood-brain barrier, the crucial separation between blood and brain.
Scientists at the University of Rochester intend to expand their model with microglial cells to better understand how brain cells respond and ultimately hope to use the technology for personalised treatment strategies.
