Researchers at Stanford University have successfully created a pain pathway in a dish using human nerve cells, providing a new model to test potential analgesic drugs and better understand certain pain syndromes.
The team grew four key clusters of human nerve cells, known as brain organoids, which were then coaxed into resembling specific types of brain or spinal tissue found along the pain pathway. After more than six months in the lab, the resulting “brain assembloid” had created a pathway linking the four organoids, and the nerve cells began working in a coordinated fashion.
The model was tested with capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers painfully hot, and exposed to genetic variants linked to abnormal pain perception. The results showed that brain assembloids with these gene variants produced more spontaneous communication between organoids, suggesting a heightened sensitivity to pain.
This breakthrough could help explain certain pain syndromes and offer a new way to test potential analgesic drugs, which are typically tested in animals or individual nerve cells. According to Dr. Stephen Waxman, a professor at Yale School of Medicine, “it’s exciting” that researchers have developed this miniature nervous system model.
However, it’s essential to note that the model is highly simplified and doesn’t produce an emotional response to pain. The team’s goal is to develop this technology further to create more complex models of the nervous system, such as a neural tube, which could help understand how neurological disorders develop early in life.
Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/10/nx-s1-5358410/pain-pathway-in-a-dish-could-aid-search-for-new-analgesic-drugs