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. 2020 Jan 19;47(4):760-767. doi: 10.1177/1073110519897789

Table 1.

Proposed research limits

Equivalent stage of human in vivo brain development Research restrictions
Non-conscious brain organoids (e.g., equivalent to fewer than 20 weeks' in vivo brain development) Research should be regulated according to existing frameworks for stem cell and human biospecimen research
Conscious or potentially conscious brain organoids (e.g., equivalent to 20 weeks' in vivo brain development or more) In addition to the above constraints, research should be subject to the following restrictions:

  1. The expected benefits of the research must be sufficiently great to justify the moral costs, including potential harms to brain organoids.

  2. Conscious brain organoids should be used only if the goals of the research cannot be met using non-sentient material.

  3. The minimum possible number of brain organoids should be used, compatible with achieving the goals of the research.

  4. Conscious brain organoids should not have greater potential for suffering than is necessary to achieve the goals of the research.

  5. Conscious brain organoids must not experience greater harm than is necessary to achieve the goals of the research.

  6. Brain organoids should not be made to experience severe long-term harm unless necessary to achieve some critically important purpose.
Brain organoids with the potential to develop advanced cognitive capacities (e.g., mature brain organoids capable of interacting with outside environment.) In addition to the above constraints, research should be subject to the following restrictions:

  1. Brain organoids should be screened for advanced cognitive capacities they could plausibly develop. In general, such assessments should err on the side of overestimating rather than under-estimating cognitive capacities.

  2. Cognitive capacities should not be more sophisticated than is necessary to achieve the goals of the research.

  3. Welfare needs associated with advanced cognitive capacities should be met unless failure to do so is necessary to achieve the goals of the research.

  4. The expected benefits of the research must be sufficiently great to justify the expected or potential harms. This calculation should take into account the implications of advanced cognitive abilities for brain organoids' welfare and moral status.