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April 9, 2024 Are Lab-grown Brain Tissues Ethical? There Is No No-brainer Answer Insights into ethical and legal ramifications of growing brain organoids from human fetal brain tissue. Brain organoids, 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 fetal tissues, can be very human indeed.Researchers from the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University offer valuable insights into the complexities inherent in brain organoid research, making significant contributions to the ongoing discourse surrounding this innovative biotechnology and paving the way for informed decision-making and legal and ethical stewardship in the pursuit of scientific advancement.Their paper was published on March 4 in EMBO Reports. Brain organoids are three-dimensional human brain tissues derived from stem cells, which are capable of developing into many differe

February 29, 2024 Proposals for Cell Donation Procedures to Create Brain Organoids With advances in neuroscience and the development of new technologies, new ethical considerations have emerged. This is particularly true for human brain organoids, which are three-dimensional tissues grown from stem cells that partially replicate the characteristics of the human brain. Brain organoids have emerged as important tools for studying brain development and disease, but there are concerns about the possibility of these organoids developing consciousness. This has important implications for research ethics and the need to obtain informed consent from cell donors. To address these questions, an international team of researchers has sought to shed light on the intricate ethical landscape of brain organoid research, offering insights that will be important for researchers, ethicists, and policymakers alike. Through a comprehensive literature review and ethical analysis, they examined how the pote

November 3, 2023 Potential Inheritable Effects and Ethical Considerations of Epigenome Editing Epigenome editing is an emerging technology used to regulate gene function by controlling epigenetic states at specific locations on the genome. This method is distinct from traditional genetic editing, which involves permanently altering the DNA sequence. Notably, the intervention effects of epigenome editing are thought to be reversible, making this technology particularly attractive for its potential therapeutic applications in the treatment of genetic disorders and chronic diseases. Although some researchers argue that it presents fewer ethical issues compared with permanent genome editing, especially in terms of its impact on offspring, the potential for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has also been reported, suggesting that epigenetic changes could be inherited across generations in mammals. This study sought to examine the ethical and practical questions of epigenome editing

October 23, 2023 Exploring the Ethics of Transplanting Human Brain Organoids into Animals Studies using so-called “chimeric animals”, in which cells from one species are transplanted into another, have brought about a number of ethical concerns and considerations. This is especially true for research involving transplantation into animals of human brain organoids, which are three-dimensional brain tissue derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Although this area of research has seen tremendous progress over the last few years, only a few studies have examined the relevant ethical issues. A major source of controversy regards the potential for cognitive enhancement of the host animal, but a myriad of other issues remain. In light of this, the researchers have taken the proactive step of examining these issues, including some speculative issues, in order to guide future research and encourage understanding and management of the ethics of this research as developments continue. The st

May 10, 2023 Can Tiny Brain Tissues Legally Be a Person? Researchers Say Not Yet Should a “Brain Organoid” be treated as a person by law? (LAIMAN-ARIGA/Kyoto University the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology) Grown in labs, human brain organoids are cultivated from stem cells, feed on nutrient broth and serve as a model of human brain development in miniature. Their growth and structure mimic portions of real brains, allowing scientists to better investigate the origins and potential treatments of neural diseases. How similar are they to actual human brains, though? Are they close enough to be considered people in their own right? The question is complicated in myriad ethical and moral ways, but researchers based in Japan and Taiwan propose that the legal lens may prove critical when understanding the potential personhood of human brain organoids. They published their argument for a legal framework to guide the conversation on April 3 in the Journal of Law a

April 18, 2023 Scientists Are Not Making “Thinking” Brains in Their Laboratories New study discusses the importance of scientists and ethicists working with media to properly depict the potential of brain organoids. © Kanon Tanaka ASHBi has published an essay on how media and researchers’ portrayal of brain organoids are misleading and possibly detrimental to this young field of research The headlines achieved their goals. People eagerly clicked on titles like “Tiny human brain grown in lab has eye-like structures that ‘see’ light” or “Mini brain organoids grown in lab mature much like infant brains”. To the unfamiliar, these claims may suggest scientists are growing miniature brains that can grow and think. In reality, scientists are using stem cells to grow structures that develop like the brain, but brain organoids are far from anything like the brains that grow in our bodies. The way the media speaks and writes of these scientific advances is alarming bioethicists like Dr. Tsutomu

September 30, 2022 Human ‘Blastoids’ Offer Medical Hope But Also Deep Ethical Challenges A team of bioethicists and a cellular biologist in Japan discuss the ethical challenges in human blastoid research. © Kanon Tanaka Research performed on human blastoids, a research model of an early embryo built out of stem cells, may allow scientists to understand better what causes birth defects and lost pregnancies, and so prevent them. But such research is also ethically fraught, warn bioethicists, due to differing beliefs on whether the blastoid possesses sentience or has the potential to do so. The study of blastoids, a research model of an early embryo derived from stem cells rather than from a father’s sperm or a mother’s egg, offers great hope for researchers investigating why pregnancies are lost at an early stage, what causes birth defects, and other topics related to early human development. Their use potentially avoids the challenges of scarcity and potential ethical problems of using