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08 November 2026
Mutation to Microcephaly
Babies born with an abnormally small head accommodating an abnormally small brain – microcephaly – is most commonly due to a mutation in the ASPM gene, but how such a fault brings about the developmental disruption has not been clear. This research using human cortical organoids (lab-grown models of brain cortex tissue grown from stem cells) shows that the faulty gene causes defective cell division due to mitotic spindle malfunction and defective arrangement and identity of outer radial glial cells
Read the published research article here
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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.
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