Beyond the petri dish

The creation of bioengineered organs has slowly made its way to the forefront of medical research. With the ability to construct fully functional organs will come the ability to decrease the current risk of mortality due to the scarce number of viable, obtainable organs. Through various mechanisms, engineers and doctors around the world have joined forces, creating artificial kidneys, arterial grafts, blood pumps, and even artificial hearts. However, despite the large demand for artificial cardiovascular apparatuses, the possibility of regenerating anything remotely related to neuroscience has long seemed unattainable. That was, until a few months ago, when scientists at Tufts University were able to regenerate brain tissue that was strikingly similar to functional brain matter, a feat thought to be impossible.