Transplant Human Organoids Into Mouse Brains

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Neuro scientists have begun to transplant organoids into an animal's brain. The aim is to more closely model the complexity of human brain circuits and how they go awry in disease. Neuro scientist rusty gages group at the sulk institute for biological studies in lahoya has succeeded in transplanting human organoids into mouse brains. Gage says, one day, he says, this research could lead to personalized organoid transplants that replace diseased or injured brain tissue.

The development of brain chimaeras – made up of human and animal neurons – is an area of research that has hugely expanded in the past five years. Proponents say that these systems are yielding important insights into health and disease, but others say the chimeras represent an ethical grey zone, because of the potential to blur the line between humans and other animals, or to recapitulate human-like cognition in an animal.

This is an audio version of our Feature: Hybrid brains: the ethics of transplanting human neurons into animals

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