Using Stem Cells to Cure Autism, Epilepsy & Schizophrenia | Dr. Sergiu Pașca
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My guest is Dr. Sergiu Pașca, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. We discuss the biology and genetics of autism, why autism diagnoses are increasing and recent progress in using stem cells to understand and treat profound autism and other brain disorders. Dr. Pașca explains “organoids and assembloids”—human stem cell–derived tools he pioneered to study, treat and cure complex brain diseases. We also discuss ethical and safety issues with using gene editing and stem cells in humans.
Articles
- Infantile autism: a genetic study of 21 twin pairs (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry)
- Generation of Functional Human 3D Cortico-Motor Assembloids (Cell)
- Long-term maturation of human cortical organoids matches key early postnatal transitions (Nature Neuroscience)
- Assembly of functionally integrated human forebrain spheroids (Nature)
- The rise of the assembloid (Nature)
- Human assembloids (Development)
- Human assembloid model of the ascending neural sensory pathway (Nature)
- Assembloid CRISPR screens reveal impact of disease genes in human neurodevelopment (Nature)
- A nomenclature consensus for nervous system organoids and assembloids (Nature)
- A framework for neural organoids, assembloids and transplantation studies (Nature)
- Antisense oligonucleotide therapeutic approach for Timothy syndrome (Nature)
Other Resources
- How assembloids are changing the future of brain research
- Breaking the Wall of Human Neuropsychiatric Disorders
- Did CRISPR help—or harm—the first-ever gene-edited babies?
- Unproven stem cell ‘therapy’ blinds three patients at Florida clinic
- Neuralink
- Cold Spring Harbor, Assembloids & Complex Cell-Cell Interactions across Tissues & Organs
- Orchid Health
Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
People Mentioned
- David Ginty: professor of neurobiology, Harvard Medical School
- Ben Barres: neuroscientist, Stanford University
- Shinya Yamanaka: professor of anatomy, UCSF, Nobel laureate
- Yoshiki Sasai: Japanese stem cell biologist
- Michael Snyder: professor of genetics, Stanford University
- Henry Greely: professor of law and genetics, Stanford University
- Daniel Palanker: professor of ophthalmology, Stanford University
- EJ Chichilnisky: professor of neurosurgery and ophthalmology, Stanford University
- Rudolf Llinás: professor of neuroscience, New York University
- Charles Scott Sherrington: English physiologist, Nobel laureate
- Sydney Brenner: British biologist/geneticist, Nobel laureate
- Lubert Stryer: professor of structural biology and neurobiology, Stanford University
About this Guest
Dr. Sergiu Pașca
Dr. Sergiu Pașca, MD, is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.
This transcript is currently under human review and may contain errors. The fully reviewed version will be posted as soon as it is available.
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