GRF Shiv came to speak to us during this Rose Cafe about Organoids. Being a STEM major, I was surprised that I have never heard about this new technology. The way Shiv described it was creating mini organs that have the same functions as the organs themselves. I personally find this extremely fascinating that one tiny organoid can have the same functions as say, our lungs. What’s even more fascinating is what the organoids can do. Shiv mentioned how organoids can be used to research how the body responds to different drugs and therapies thus it is a growing field in the biotech world. I am excited to see where organoids can take us in the upcoming years.
It was also interesting to learn about Shiv’s background and why he came to Cornell to do research. He is working on his PHD in biomedical engineering and researching how organoids can be used to learn more about antibodies and what they fight against. This was a great opportunity to not only get to know a GRF, but to learn more about the work that he does and the difference he is making.
This is an intriguing concept. I’m looking forward to hearing more about this field as it develops.
Learning about organoids sounds fun. I remember reading an article last year about scientists recreating Neanderthal brains as organoids. It was really interesting to think that scientists could basically make a full-size Neanderthal brain, but they make the organoids for ethical reasons. I’d be interested to see the organoid brains of other types of early humans, and maybe even interesting people that we still have the DNA of. You could have a miniature Einstein brain in every museum if you wanted to.