As research involving transplanting human-raised laboratory “mini-brains” into animals to study neurological diseases continues to expand, experts warn that work with these brain organelles could lead to a “Planet of the Apes” scenario.
The concern is that animals could develop humanized traits and begin to behave similarly to the intelligent monkeys in the popular science fiction story.
The warning comes from a team at Kyoto University who launched a paper highlighting a number of ethical implications that could arise from brain organoid research.
Although many see brain organoids as a way to quickly develop treatments for disease, others fear that because they are designed to mimic the real thing, they too can reach a form of consciousness.
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Experts warn that working with these brain organoids could lead to a “Planet of the Apes” scenario (pictured). The concern is that animals could develop humanized traits and begin to behave similarly to the intelligent monkeys in the popular science fiction story.
Tsutomu Sawai, an assistant professor at Kyoto University, said: “This is still too futuristic, but that does not mean we should wait to decide on ethical guidelines.
“The concern is not so much a biological humanization of the animal, which can happen to any organoid, as a moral humanization, which is exclusive to the brain.”
Brain organoids, first created in 2008, are 3D balls of brain-like tissue grown from stem cells – and usually from humans.
Other stem cell research uses animal tissues to grow organoids, called “xenon organs, which are transplanted into other animals.”
The brain organoids (pictured), first created in 2008, are 3D balls of brain-like tissue grown from stem cells – and usually from humans. Some fear that because they are designed to mimic the real thing, and they can reach a form of consciousness
For example, scientists have successfully grown a mouse pancreas in rats and vice versa.
This innovative work paves the way for the growth of human pancreas in pigs that could be harvested later for human organ transplants.
However, on paper, these animals will live as organ farms for the sake of humans.
However, Sawai said there is a more pressing issue.
“One of the biggest problems is transplants. Should we put brain organoids in animals to observe how the brain behaves?
Sawai warns that this could result in animals having increased abilities, which may sound like the popular Planet of the Apes.
The story has been a popular one since it was first released in 1968 and then again in 2017 as a remake.
The Planet of the Apes takes place on a distant planet sometime in the future, where three astronauts become trapped and learn that the world is ruled by intelligent monkeys.
While the growth of the entire human brain inside animals is not the subject of serious analysis, brain organ transplantation could provide a crucial perspective on how diseases such as dementia or schizophrenia and treatments to cure them are formed.
Brain organoids have given scientists a new way to study the human brain – to better understand how it develops to learn how diseases develop.
While the growth of the entire human brain inside animals is not the subject of serious analysis, brain organ transplantation could provide a crucial perspective on how diseases such as dementia or schizophrenia and treatments to cure them are formed. In the picture are the cells in an organoid of the brain
However, the subject has been greeted with mixed signals in the scientific community, as some see brain organoids as a way to quickly develop treatments for devastating brain diseases, and others fear organoids may soon reach a form of consciousness.
The brain is considered the source of human consciousness, so if the brain organoids are just a smaller version of the real thing, they should also develop consciousness.
And the work of Kyoto University states that this has all sorts of moral implications.
“Consciousness is a very difficult property to define. We don’t have very good experimental techniques that confirm consciousness, ‘said Sawai, who spent several years writing about the ethics of brain organoid research.
“Even if we can’t prove our conscience, we should set guidelines, because scientific progress demands it.”
Another ethical issue arising from brain organoid transplants concerns humans. If something goes wrong, the mini brain cannot be removed. The picture shows the increased process of cerebral organoids from three days to 10 days
Another ethical issue arising from brain organoid transplants concerns humans.
All pathways of brain organoids indicate that they have been transplanted into human patients who have suffered some type of sudden brain injury or trauma.
There are already a number of clinical studies involving brain cell transplantation as cell therapy in patients with such lesions or neurodegenerative diseases.
Sawai said the ethics behind these therapies could act as a paradigm for brain organoids.
“Cell transplants change the way brain cells work. If something goes wrong, we can’t just take them out and start over, ”Sawai said.
But right now, cell transplantation is usually in one location. Cerebral organoises should interact more deeply with the brain, risking more unexpected changes.