The Ethics of Cerebral Organoid Research: Being Conscious of Consciousness

Tsutomu Sawai¹, Hideya Sakaguchi², Elizabeth Thomas³, Jun Takahashi⁴, Misao Fujita⁵

Affiliations

¹ Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), KUIAS Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. Electronic address: tsutomu.sawai@cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Clinical Application, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. Electronic address: hsakaguchi@salk.edu.
³ Pembroke College, University of Oxford, St. Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DW, UK.
⁴ Department of Clinical Application, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
⁵ Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), KUIAS Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.

PMID: 31509736
PMCID: PMC6739740
DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.08.003

Review

The Ethics of Cerebral Organoid Research: Being Conscious of Consciousness

Tsutomu Sawai et al. Stem Cell Reports. 2019.

. 2019 Sep 10;13(3):440-447.

doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.08.003.

Authors

Tsutomu Sawai¹, Hideya Sakaguchi², Elizabeth Thomas³, Jun Takahashi⁴, Misao Fujita⁵

Affiliations

¹ Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), KUIAS Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. Electronic address: tsutomu.sawai@cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Clinical Application, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. Electronic address: hsakaguchi@salk.edu.
³ Pembroke College, University of Oxford, St. Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DW, UK.
⁴ Department of Clinical Application, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
⁵ Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), KUIAS Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.

PMID: 31509736
PMCID: PMC6739740
DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.08.003

Abstract

Recently, the use of three-dimensional neural tissues cultured in vitro and called "cerebral organoids" has advanced recapitulation of neural development and disease modeling studies. Along with such advances, cerebral organoid research, and associated concerns call for the elucidation of two points: (1) how cerebral organoid research is currently progressing and the future directions it is likely to take, especially in functional assessment of organoids, and (2) how we should solve ethical issues of possible consciousness in cerebral organoid research. This paper aims first to explore these two issues, and then to present implications and prospects for future cerebral organoid research.

Keywords: cerebral organoids; consciousness; functional assessment; moral status; neural network; neuroethics; organoids; pluripotent stem cells.

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The Ethics of Cerebral Organoid Research: Being Conscious of Consciousness

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The Ethics of Cerebral Organoid Research: Being Conscious of Consciousness

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