Artificial nerve cells have been made in the lab

Synthetic neurons made of hydrogel could one day be used in sophisticated artificial tissues to repair organs such as the heart or the eyes

By Jason Arunn Murugesu

Artificial nerve cells made from biocompatible materials have been made in a lab for the first time. The innovation may one day be used in synthetic tissues to repair organs such as the heart or the eyes.

Hagan Bayley at the University of Oxford and his colleagues devised a synthetic material that can act in a similar way to a human neuron.

Made from hydrogel, the artificial neurons are about 0.7 millimetres across ­– about 700 times wider than a human neuron, but similar to …