Navigating the Organoid Frontier: ELSI in Brain Organoids, Multi-Organ Chimeras, and Human Developmental Models

The field of regenerative and developmental biology has rapidly transformed through advances in brain organoids, multi-organ systems, and human-animal chimeric models. Derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), these technologies enable unprecedented exploration of early neurodevelopment, inter-organ communication, and disease pathophysiology. However, alongside their scientific promise, they have introduced profound ethical, legal, and social questions that stretch the limits of current regulatory and moral frameworks. As organoids acquire more complex physiological properties, ranging from spontaneous neural activity to rudimentary sensory integration, the line between experimental model and sentient entity grows increasingly ambiguous. This calls for a careful re-examination of established bioethical principles concerning consent, moral status, and human identity in the context of these emergent in vitro systems.This Research Topic aims to build an integrated discussion platform bridging developmental neuroscience, stem cell biology, and bioethics with law and policy. It seeks to document and interrogate how researchers, institutional review boards, and regulators are handling the real-time ethical and governance challenges emerging from experimental practice. Contributions may address the practical dilemmas of informed consent for donor-derived cell lines, controversies surrounding ownership of self-organizing biological constructs, and frameworks for assessing sentience-like properties in cortical assembloids. By uniting empirical research and ethical analysis, this collection will support the formulation of context-sensitive governance models that both enable innovation and uphold foundational ethical commitments.This Research Topic focuses on the translational, regulatory, and ethical implications of brain organoid and chimeric model research while excluding speculative or purely theoretical discussions unrelated to ongoing laboratory practice. To gather further insights into evolving practices and standards in this area, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Institutional review and consent processes for donor-derived organoid lines- Criteria for identifying and managing sentience-relevant properties in cerebral organoids- Ownership, intellectual property, and stewardship of self-organizing biological materials- Governance and oversight of human-animal chimeric models under current policy regimes- Comparative analysis of cross-jurisdictional regulatory frameworks (NIH, EMA, etc.)- Integration of bioethical standards into experimental design and reporting practices- Stakeholder engagement and public communication around complex human model systems Topic editors: Dov Greenbaum Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80555/navigating-the-organoid-frontier-elsi-in-brain-organoids-multi-organ-chimeras-and-human-developmental-models