Human Cerebral Organoids: Evolving Entities and Their Moral Status

Lavazza, Andrea

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-97641-5_4

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Within the ethical debate on the evaluation of cerebral organoids, it has been argued that against the background of further technical developments it might be necessary to grant an ethical protective status to cerebral organoids, as they might for example have pain perception in the future [ 33 ]. This is because further technical development could also lead to a greater practical significance of cerebral organoids in research and application.…”

Section: Ethics Of Optogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because further technical development could also lead to a greater practical significance of cerebral organoids in research and application. From an ethical perspective, calls for a protected status are made when the challenged entities have certain capacities such as pain perception or even forms of consciousness [ 33 ]. Such protected status could impact the ability to use cerebral organoids in research and application if, for example, ethics committees oppose research or application of the technology.…”

Section: Ethics Of Optogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the limitations in size and lifespan of the organoids against the background of a lack of vascularization, properties of the human central nervous system could already be realized in cerebral organoids: Thus, cerebral organoids have autonomous electrical activity, and one study was able to show that EEG patterns comparable to those of premature human infants are evident [ 67 ]. It can be concluded that even in the absence of external stimuli, neuronal activities comparable to those of a human brain are generated [ 33 ]. Here, too, it must be ethically examined which conclusions can be drawn regarding the ethical status of human cerebral organoids.…”

Section: Ethics Of Optogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Ethics and regulation of neuronal optogenetics in the European Union

Faltus,

Freise,

Fluck

et al. 2023

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Neuronal optogenetics is a technique to control the activity of neurons with light. This is achieved by artificial expression of light-sensitive ion channels in the target cells. By optogenetic methods, cells that are naturally light-insensitive can be made photosensitive and addressable by illumination and precisely controllable in time and space. So far, optogenetics has primarily been a basic research tool to better understand the brain. However, initial studies are already investigating the possibility of using optogenetics in humans for future therapeutic approaches for neuronal based diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, or to promote stroke recovery. In addition, optogenetic methods have already been successfully applied to a human in an experimental setting. Neuronal optogenetics also raises ethical and legal issues, e.g., in relation to, animal experiments, and its application in humans. Additional ethical and legal questions may arise when optogenetic methods are investigated on cerebral organoids. Thus, for the successful translation of optogenetics from basic research to medical practice, the ethical and legal questions of this technology must also be answered, because open ethical and legal questions can hamper the translation. The paper provides an overview of the ethical and legal issues raised by neuronal optogenetics. In addition, considering the technical prerequisites for translation, the paper shows consistent approaches to address these open questions. The paper also aims to support the interdisciplinary dialogue between scientists and physicians on the one hand, and ethicists and lawyers on the other, to enable an interdisciplinary coordinated realization of neuronal optogenetics.

show abstract

Section: Ethics Of Optogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ethics Of Optogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ethics Of Optogeneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ethics and regulation of neuronal optogenetics in the European Union

Faltus,

Freise,

Fluck

et al. 2023

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this vein, it should be pointed out that a strong disagreement exists in the scientific community, where many researchers, bioethicists, and neuroethicists consider the emergence of consciousness in HCOs to be unlikely, while others think it is a hypothesis that should be taken into account. 47 So, our article aims at offering a more nuanced theoretical framework within which one can place different views on the topic and assess the empirical findings. Although this article addresses a topic of great importance to bioethics and neuroethics regarding the research development and use of HCOs, it should be noted that providing ethical guidelines is not our focus.…”

Section: Hcos and Neurobiology Of Consciousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theoretical Neurobiology of Consciousness Applied to Human Cerebral Organoids

Owen,

Huang,

Duclos

et al. 2023

Camb Q Healthc Ethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Organoids and specifically human cerebral organoids (HCOs) are one of the most relevant novelties in the field of biomedical research. Grown either from embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells, HCOs can be used as in vitro three-dimensional models, mimicking the developmental process and organization of the developing human brain. Based on that, and despite their current limitations, it cannot be assumed that they will never at any stage of development manifest some rudimentary form of consciousness. In the absence of behavioral indicators of consciousness, the theoretical neurobiology of consciousness being applied to unresponsive brain-injured patients can be considered with respect to HCOs. In clinical neurology, it is difficult to discern a capacity for consciousness in unresponsive brain-injured patients who provide no behavioral indicators of consciousness. In such scenarios, a validated neurobiological theory of consciousness, which tells us what the neural mechanisms of consciousness are, could be used to identify a capacity for consciousness. Like the unresponsive patients that provide a diagnostic difficulty for neurologists, HCOs provide no behavioral indicators of consciousness. Therefore, this article discusses how three prominent neurobiological theories of consciousness apply to human cerebral organoids. From the perspective of the Temporal Circuit Hypothesis, the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, and the Integrated Information Theory, we discuss what neuronal structures and functions might indicate that cerebral organoids have a neurobiological capacity to be conscious.

show abstract

Human Brain Organoids: Why There Can Be Moral Concerns If They Grow Up in the Lab and Are Transplanted or Destroyed

Lavazza

Reichlin

2023

Camb Q Healthc Ethics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human brain organoids (HBOs) are three-dimensional biological entities grown in the laboratory in order to recapitulate the structure and functions of the adult human brain. They can be taken to be novel living entities for their specific features and uses. As a contribution to the ongoing discussion on the use of HBOs, the authors identify three sets of reasons for moral concern. The first set of reasons regards the potential emergence of sentience/consciousness in HBOs that would endow them with a moral status whose perimeter should be established. The second set of moral concerns has to do with an analogy with artificial womb technology. The technical realization of processes that are typically connected to the physiology of the human body can create a manipulatory and instrumental attitude that can undermine the protection of what is human. The third set concerns the new frontiers of biocomputing and the creation of chimeras. As far as the new frontier of organoid intelligence is concerned, it is the close relationship of humans with new interfaces having biological components capable of mimicking memory and cognition that raises ethical issues. As far as chimeras are concerned, it is the humanization of nonhuman animals that is worthy of close moral scrutiny. A detailed description of these ethical issues is provided to contribute to the construction of a regulative framework that can guide decisions when considering research in the field of HBOs.

show abstract

Human Cerebral Organoids: Evolving Entities and Their Moral Status

Cited by 6 publications

References 40 publications

Ethics and regulation of neuronal optogenetics in the European Union

Ethics and regulation of neuronal optogenetics in the European Union

Theoretical Neurobiology of Consciousness Applied to Human Cerebral Organoids

Human Brain Organoids: Why There Can Be Moral Concerns If They Grow Up in the Lab and Are Transplanted or Destroyed

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About