Researchers at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s have grown small human brain replicas to aid the study of neurological diseases in a way that may result into better treatments and even cures for cognitive and neurological ailments.

This is a comparatively fresh field of scientific research that can possibly revolutionize the way the new drugs are tested for effectiveness by conducting drug testing on human cells instead of on lab animals. The method may offer more exact test results and assist in the development of new, more useful drugs.

The genes of the human skin cells were reprogrammed by the scientists to make them akin to embryonic stem cells, which can develop into any type of tissue. Thereafter, these stem cells were nurtured to turn into brain cells.

On Friday, the researchers revealed their findings, their work at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Washington, DC.

At the time of full growth, the three-dimensional mini-brains measure roughly 350 micrometers, and can be noticed by the human eye, looking like small balls. The brain cells take about eight weeks to grow into one of these balls. The versions aren’t precise brain replicas as they have been created using the same neurons and cells that exist in human brains. The replicas feature similar structures, functioning in the same way.

Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Hartung, holder of the Bloomberg School’s Doerenkamp-Zbinden endowed chair in evidence-based toxicology, said that the mini-brains offer a superior testing ground for scientists.

Hartung, who is also director of the school’s Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, mentioned that roughly 95% of the drugs that appear promising when tested in animal models couldn’t succeed in the case of humans.