‘Mini-brains’ model myelin damage and regeneration, offering new tool for MS drug testing

October 1, 2026
10:17 pm

Researchers have developed 3D "mini-brains" they hope will help speed up the search for much-needed drug treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune condition affecting almost 3 million people worldwide. Their research has been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Led by The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Monash University, scientists from Australia and New Zealand have used reprogrammed adult stem cells to engineer the human-like central nervous system cell model, which is the size of a grain of rice.

Among only a handful of MS organoids created globally, the “mini-brains” give researchers a highly detailed cellular view of myelin destruction (demyelination) and regeneration (remyelination) in human cells.

‘Mini-brains’ model myelin damage and regeneration, offering new tool for MS drug testing

Researchers have developed 3D "mini-brains" they hope will help speed up the search for much-needed drug treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune condition affecting almost 3 million people worldwide. Their research has been published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

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