Ethical, legal and social aspects of human cerebral organoids and their governance in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States

Bioengineering ethics for the age of microphysiological systems

The development of microphysiological systems (MPS) is pushing ethical standards in biomedical research to a breaking point. This article argues that only a perspective drawing from engineering ethics will be able to address the new challenges raised by organoids and organs-on-chips. Extending progressively the scope of moral questioning, we discuss successively the following areas: i) individual consent: when cell lines are generated and human biomaterial is circulated and incorporated into biotechnologies whose life cycle will far exceed the scope envisioned by donors and manufacturers, the classic notion of informed consent becomes almost obsolete, or at least needs to be revisited. ii) Collective deliberation: MPSs raise many expectations for animal replacement and the advancement of precision and regenerative medicine. The management of these prospects by different stakeholders, and for everyone, is itself an ethical challenge at the interface of science and society. iii) Consideration of novel entities: some complex microphysiological systems may be endowed with a moral status in the near future, and this will have an impact on how researchers treat them and work with them.

Beyond consciousness: Ethical, legal, and social issues in human brain organoid research and application

This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the ethical, legal and social issues in human brain organoid research, with a view to different types of research and applications: in vitro research, transplantation into non-human animals, and biocomputing. Despite the academic and societal attention on the possibility that human brain organoids may be conscious, we have identified diverse issues in human brain organoid research and applications. To guide the complex terrain of human brain organoid research and applications, a multidisciplinary approach that integrates ethical, legal, and social perspectives is essential.

Organoids, organs-on-chips, complex in vitro model: Definitions, applications, validation, ethics

Over the past decade, new in vitro biological models have emerged which can reproduce certain characteristics of human physiology and pathologies. From organoids to organs-on-chips, these new technologies are currently revolutionizing the entire chain of research and development in pharmacology. All stakeholders are thus involved, from academic laboratories to pharmaceutical companies, start-ups, and assessment agencies. By providing better predictability, these new human biomimetic models also help address societal and ethical challenges regarding the place and use of animals in biomedical research. In this context, participants at the Ateliers de Giens (Giens Workshops) roundtable wished to examine the issues related to these new technologies with their various expertise and, given the stakes involved in the medicine and pharmacology of the future, formulate several recommendations aimed at strengthening the national structuring of the academic and industrial sector, therefore accelerating the development and validation of these new models.

Neuroethics and AI ethics: a proposal for collaboration

The scientific relationship between neuroscience and artificial intelligence is generally acknowledged, and the role that their long history of collaboration has played in advancing both fields is often emphasized. Beyond the important scientific insights provided by their collaborative development, both neuroscience and AI raise a number of ethical issues that are generally explored by neuroethics and AI ethics. Neuroethics and AI ethics have been gaining prominence in the last few decades, and they are typically carried out by different research communities. However, considering the evolving landscape of AI-assisted neurotechnologies and the various conceptual and practical intersections between AI and neuroscience-such as the increasing application of AI in neuroscientific research, the healthcare of neurological and mental diseases, and the use of neuroscientific knowledge as inspiration for AI-some scholars are now calling for a collaborative relationship between these two domains. This article seeks to explore how a collaborative relationship between neuroethics and AI ethics can stimulate theoretical and, ideally, governance efforts. First, we offer some reasons for calling for the collaboration of the ethical reflection on neuroscientific innovations and AI. Next, we explore some dimensions that we think could be enhanced by the cross-fertilization between these two subfields of ethics. We believe that considering the pace and increasing fusion of neuroscience and AI in the development of innovations, broad and underspecified calls for responsibility that do not consider insights from different ethics subfields will only be partially successful in promoting meaningful changes in both research and applications.

Cardiac organoids do not warrant additional moral scrutiny

Certain organoid subtypes are particularly sensitive. We explore whether moral intuitions about the heartbeat warrant unique moral consideration for newly advanced contracting cardiac organoids. Despite the heartbeat's moral significance in organ procurement and abortion discussions, we argue that this significance should not translate into moral implications for cardiac organoids.

Brain organoids and organoid intelligence from ethical, legal, and social points of view

Human brain organoids, aka cerebral organoids or earlier "mini-brains", are 3D cellular models that recapitulate aspects of the developing human brain. They show tremendous promise for advancing our understanding of neurodevelopment and neurological disorders. However, the unprecedented ability to model human brain development and function in vitro also raises complex ethical, legal, and social challenges. Organoid Intelligence (OI) describes the ongoing movement to combine such organoids with Artificial Intelligence to establish basic forms of memory and learning. This article discusses key issues regarding the scientific status and prospects of brain organoids and OI, conceptualizations of consciousness and the mind-brain relationship, ethical and legal dimensions, including moral status, human-animal chimeras, informed consent, and governance matters, such as oversight and regulation. A balanced framework is needed to allow vital research while addressing public perceptions and ethical concerns. Interdisciplinary perspectives and proactive engagement among scientists, ethicists, policymakers, and the public can enable responsible translational pathways for organoid technology. A thoughtful, proactive governance framework might be needed to ensure ethically responsible progress in this promising field.