Investigating differences between the brains of extant and extinct species of Homo is important for understanding what makes humans unique. A team of researchers, led by Alysson Muotri, used CRISPR to introduce the Neanderthal form of a gene called NOVA1 into human pluripotent stem cells and cultured brain-like organoids alongside normal human organoids for comparison. Organoids with the Neanderthal version of NOVA1 were smaller with rough, complex surfaces, different levels of synapse proteins, and had a less orderly neuron firing pattern. Muotri’s team plans to use this system to explore other reverted genes to gain insight into the evolutionary pathways that produced modern humans.

For more information, see:
Trujillio, C.L., et al. (2021) Reintroduction of the archaic variant of NOVA1 in cortical organoids alters neurodevelopment. Science 371, eaax2537. DOI: 10.1126/science.aax2537
Penissi, E. (2021) Neanderthal-inspired ‘minibrains’ hint at what makes modern humans special. Science 371, abh0331. DOI:10.1126/science.abh0331

Keywords: CRISPR, IPSCs, Organoids, Neuroscience

Questions? Email: crispr@amsterdamumc.nl