Developmental Neuroscience podcasts

This Nature Podcast episode examines human brain organoids transplanted into mice lacking a cerebral cortex, where extensive cellular integration could create an in-vivo platform for testing therapies and studying human neurobiology. It also covers research highlights and Paper2Agent, an AI system that turns research papers into interactive virtual corresponding authors able to answer questions and support complex scientific tasks.

Nature staff discuss how a newly approved orexin-targeting narcolepsy drug could enable therapies for other neurological conditions, and examine human brain organoids that have remained viable for more than five years. The episode connects sleep medicine, therapeutic neuroscience, and long-term models of human brain development.

Thomas Reh and Juliette Wohlschlegel discuss their research on converting human Müller glia into retinal neurons with host Martin Pera. The conversation traces how regeneration in fish and frogs motivated experiments in mammals, then examines genetic reprogramming of cells derived from human fetal tissue or retinal organoids. Their study of ASCL1-induced neurogenesis provides a basis for discussing the remaining biological and translational challenges of retinal regeneration. The work concerns experimental cellular models and does not establish a treatment for vision loss.