News11th July 2024

Project launched to tackle key ethical questions regarding the future of neural organoid research

We are seeking expert opinions on areas where ethical guidance is needed in research using neural organoids.

The mind & brainNeural organoidsEmbryo and stem cell researchBiotechnology

Since publishing our neural organoids policy briefing note, we have held a horizon scanning workshop on the ethical implications of engineering biology, which has deepened our understanding of the ethical, policy and regulatory challenges faced by researchers working directly with neural organoids and the decision-makers seeking to regulate and govern the field.

These insights, alongside further engagement with key stakeholders have helped us to decide where to focus our attention, and what our evidence gathering programme should look like. As such, this new call for evidence, open from now until 18 September 2024, will help us to assess:

• How regulation and governance of neural organoids can be proportionate and future proofed.
• What an informed consent process, able to account for fast-paced developments and an unpredictable direction of research, could look like.
• What current and possible future characteristics of neural organoids could have implications for their moral and legal significance, and so may warrant special ethical consideration.

It is clear research using neural organoids is advancing at pace, moving us into a place where we could gain useful scientific and health insights. However, the fact that it currently resides outside of existing regulatory frameworks is leaving those working in the field without a safety net, worried that they’ll somehow be perceived to misuse these models and go beyond what the public feel comfortable with. This call for evidence will help us to accurately assess and provide an ethical review of where we are today and where we could be headed. I hope the recommendations we develop can inform practical solutions for researchers and policymakers alike.

Claudia Corradi, NCOB researcher and neural organoid project lead

Alongside this call for evidence, the NCOB will be inviting researchers, policymakers and governance experts to a workshop and series of targeted meetings to further explore these three areas. We intend to publish our recommendations by Spring 2025, seeking to guide policymakers and all who carry out, fund and govern neural organoid research.

If you have any questions about the call for evidence, please contact Claudia at mindandbrain@nuffieldbioethics.org.