Tag: organoids

Categories : Ethics and Law NeurologyTags :

Are Brain Organoids Derived from Foetal Tissue Ethical?

On By ModernMedia
Image from Pixabay.

Brain organoids (BOs), though often referred to as “mini brains,” are not truly human brains. But the concerns over these lab-grown brain tissues, especially when they are developed from human foetal tissues, can be very human indeed.

In a paper published in EMBO Reports, researchers from Hiroshima University offer valuable insights into the complexities inherent in brain organoid research, highlighting often-overlooked ethical dilemmas for better decision-making, especially for foetal brain organoids (FeBOs).

Brain organoids are three-dimensional human brain tissues derived from stem cells. They replicate the complexity of the human brain in vitro, allowing researchers to study brain development and diseases.

Traditionally, brain organoids (BOs) are grown from pluripotent stem cells, an especially potent sub-type that is typical of early embryonic development, but new technologies now make it possible to generate these organoids from human foetal brain cells.

The research comes amid increasingly heated debates over human BOs. Central concerns are that lab-grown BOs might achieve consciousness and the ethical implications of transplanting them into animal models. The discourse includes matters of consent, commercialisation, integration with computational technologies, and legal ramifications. In addition, the public perception of BOs, often shaped by inaccurate media depictions.

Issues of consciousness arising and transplantation into animal models are particularly morally sensitive for tissue donors, and so rigorous informed consent is needed. With FeBOs, these become even more important. FeBOs, for example, can grow past the developmental stage of the initial foetal donor tissue.

“Our research seeks to illuminate previously often-overlooked ethical dilemmas and legal complexities that arise at the intersection of advanced organoid research and the use of foetal tissue, which is predominantly obtained through elective abortions,” said Tsutomu Sawai, an associate professor at Hiroshima University and lead author of the study.

The study highlights the urgent need for a sophisticated and globally harmonised regulatory framework tailored to navigate the complex ethical and legal landscape of FeBO research. One example is the 14-day rule used in embryo research, as neurogenesis does not occur in embryos prior to 14 days post-fertilisation. Using FeBOs derived from 12-15 week old foetuses therefore raises significant ethical questions, especially as there is a proposed 20-week ethical boundary.

The paper emphasises the importance of informed consent protocols, ethical considerations surrounding organoid consciousness, transplantation of organoids into animals, integration with computational systems, and broader debates related to embryo research and the ethics of abortion.

“Our plan is to vigorously advocate for the development of thorough ethical and regulatory frameworks for brain organoid research, including FeBO research, at both national and international levels,” said Masanori Kataoka, a fellow researcher at Hiroshima University.

“Rather than being limited to issues of consciousness, it’s imperative, now more than ever, to systematically advance the ethical and regulatory discussion in order to responsibly and ethically advance scientific and medical progress,” Sawai said.

Moving forward, the research duo plans to continue supporting the advancement of ethical and regulatory discussions surrounding brain organoid research. By promoting responsible and ethical progress in science and medicine, they aim to ensure that all research involving brain organoids, including FeBOs, is conducted within a framework that prioritises human dignity and ethical integrity.

Source: Hiroshima University

Categories : NeurologyTags :

Building a Future ‘Biocomputer’ Using Human Brain Cells

On By ModernMedia
Depiction of a human brain
Image by Fakurian Design on Unsplash

A “biocomputer” powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to an article in the journal Frontiers in Science. The Johns Hopkins University researchers expect such “organoid intelligence” technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study, as well as yielding insights into neurodegenerative diseases.

“Computing and artificial intelligence have been driving the technology revolution but they are reaching a ceiling,” said Thomas Hartung, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering who is spearheading the work. “Biocomputing is an enormous effort of compacting computational power and increasing its efficiency to push past our current technological limits.”

For nearly two decades scientists have used tiny organoids, lab-grown tissue resembling fully grown organs, to experiment on kidneys, lungs, and other organs without resorting to human or animal testing. More recently Hartung and colleagues at Johns Hopkins have been working with brain organoids, orbs the size of a pen dot with neurons and other features that promise to sustain basic functions like learning and remembering.

“This opens up research on how the human brain works,” Hartung said. “Because you can start manipulating the system, doing things you cannot ethically do with human brains.”

Hartung began to grow and assemble brain cells into functional organoids in 2012 using cells from human skin samples reprogrammed into an embryonic stem cell-like state. Each organoid contains about 50 000 cells, about the size of a fruit fly’s nervous system. He now envisions building a futuristic computer with such brain organoids.

Computers that run on this “biological hardware” could in the next decade begin to alleviate energy-consumption demands of supercomputing that are becoming increasingly unsustainable, Hartung said. Even though computers process calculations involving numbers and data faster than humans, brains are much smarter in making complex logical decisions, like telling a dog from a cat.

“The brain is still unmatched by modern computers,” Hartung said. “Frontier, the latest supercomputer in Kentucky, is a $600 million, 6,800-square-feet installation. Only in June of last year, it exceeded for the first time the computational capacity of a single human brain – but using a million times more energy.”

It might take decades before organoid intelligence can power a system as smart as a mouse, Hartung said. But by scaling up production of brain organoids and training them with artificial intelligence, he foresees a future where biocomputers support superior computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities.

“It will take decades before we achieve the goal of something comparable to any type of computer,” Hartung said. “But if we don’t start creating funding programs for this, it will be much more difficult.”

Medical applications

Organoid intelligence could also revolutionise drug testing research for neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration, said Lena Smirnova, a Johns Hopkins assistant professor of environmental health and engineering who co-leads the investigations.

“We want to compare brain organoids from typically developed donors versus brain organoids from donors with autism,” Smirnova said. “The tools we are developing towards biological computing are the same tools that will allow us to understand changes in neuronal networks specific for autism, without having to use animals or to access patients, so we can understand the underlying mechanisms of why patients have these cognition issues and impairments.”

To assess the ethical implications of working with organoid intelligence, a diverse consortium of scientists, bioethicists, and members of the public have been embedded within the team.

Source: John Hopkins University