Abstract

This editorial delves into the conceptual and ethical challenges related to research on neural organoids and neural chimeras. Neural organoids—three-dimensional models of (parts of) the human brain derived from human stem cells—are used to study brain development, diseases, and potential therapies. These advances have led to significant ethical, epistemic and governance issues being raised, most notably regarding the potential for consciousness and the attribution of moral status to artificially created entities. The contributions to this collection examine a broad range of conceptual, ethical and legal questions. Key epistemic issues include the fundamental question of whether and how consciousness or sentience could emerge in organoids, and what criteria should be used to define and detect such states. Apart from theoretical models of consciousness, the role of similarity-based views in precautionary ethics, as well as conditions and implications of moral status ascription to neural organoids and chimeras are explored. Furthermore, the ethical dimensions of neural organoid transplantation in animals, and the potential need for particular ethical guidelines and legal regulations for neural organoid and chimera research, including concerns with regard to the patentability of organoids with consciousness-like features are discussed. This collection underscores the necessity of integrating epistemological and ethical insights and the importance of broad interdisciplinary discourse to navigate the ethical landscape of neural organoid and chimera research.