Using Stem Cells to Cure Autism, Epilepsy & Schizophrenia | Dr. Sergiu Pașca
Andrew Huberman
18 ago 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Understand ongoing myelination for brain efficiency into your 30s
The process of myelination, which makes neural signals more efficient, continues in the frontal parts of the brain all the way into your third decade of life.
Discover brain cells' intrinsic developmental timer
Human brain cells grown in a dish follow an intrinsic developmental timer, automatically switching to a "post-birth" genetic signature at around nine months, independent of any external cues.
Utilize Yamanaka factors to reverse cell age
A combination of just four genetic factors, known as Yamanaka factors, can turn an adult skin cell back into a pluripotent stem cell, bypassing the ethical issues of using embryonic stem cells.
Avoid stem cell tourism due to high risks and unknowns
Stem cell injections for conditions like autism, often sought in other countries, are incredibly risky as there is no biological rationale, and you often don't even know what cells are being injected.
Acknowledge rising autism prevalence at nearly 3%
The prevalence of autism has risen to nearly 3% of the general population, a significant increase from when it was considered a rare disease.
Create organoids to enable self-organizing brain circuits
By creating the correct brain parts (organoids) and putting them together, the cells will self-organize and form functional circuits on their own, a process called assembloids.
Develop first therapy for Timothy syndrome using human stem cell models
A new therapeutic for Timothy syndrome, a form of profound autism, is the first for a psychiatric disease to be developed exclusively using human stem cell models without any animal models.
Reframe autism as a behavioral observation, not a single disease
Autism is not a single disease but a behavioral observation, much like "fever" was in the 19th century, which could have been caused by anything from a virus to cancer.
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