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Current Status of Research with Brain Organoids

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Integrity of Scientific Research

Abstract

Cerebral organoids are three-dimensional biological structures trying to mimic some cerebral functions. This very hot topic in scientific research has attracted numerous researchers, but however has also generated a great number of controversies, due to its ethical and social implications. Differently from the heart, liver, or kidney organoids, these tissues are endowed with the potential for commanding or transferring thoughts, actions, and moral judgments, if eventually transplanted to human or animal organisms. The purpose of this chapter is to briefly summarize a few ethical issues that should be taken into account by researchers trying to publish research in this field, encompassing journal editors and ethical committees. Research should not try to circumvent but rather work within the accepted norms of ethics, and researchers should not try to present their findings in a thrilling manner, as they can easily lead to misunderstandings in the general population which could generate resistance or ridicule, not only praise.

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Hostiuc, S., Diaconescu, I., Isailă, OM. (2022). Current Status of Research with Brain Organoids. In: Faintuch, J., Faintuch, S. (eds) Integrity of Scientific Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99680-2_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99680-2_25

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