In the 1980s, American philosopher Hilary Putnam proposed a famous thought experiment called The Brain in a Jar. This experiment imagines a scenario where a human brain is separated from the body and placed in a container. The brain is maintained alive through a nutrient solution, and computer programs simulate sensory experiences, allowing the brain to generate all kinds of normal hallucinations.
This thought experiment has inspired many science fiction works. However, today, this disturbing scenario seems to be becoming a reality. According to a report in the May 20 issue of Scientific American, the American biotechnology startup Bexorg is developing a technology that can keep the brains of deceased volunteers active. This allows these off-body brains to remain in a state between life and death, thereby enabling the testing of experimental drugs.
However, this technology has also sparked controversy. Many people are concerned that the brains of donors might regain consciousness during the experiments and experience pain. In response, Bexorg has tried to reassure the public. The company claims that these brains never showed any signs of regaining consciousness during the experiments. The experiments will ensure that the brains can only function in their most basic sense.
Bexorg is a biotechnology company located in Connecticut, USA. It was founded in 2021. The company developed a device called BrainEx, which allows the brain to be kept alive in an artificial environment within hours after the donors death. This enables the brain to maintain most of its critical functions, thereby facilitating the testing of medications.
This device is located in a laboratory at Yale University in the United States. Before placing the brain into the machine, surgeons carefully examine the brain using magnifying glasses. Then, four plastic connectors are sewn onto the blood vessels that once supplied blood to the brain, so that the brain can respond to the experimental drugs. Once the brain is connected to the BrainEx machine, artificial lungs and kidneys begin to supply oxygen and filter blood.
During the experiment involving the metabolism of drugs in the brain, sensors will record various reactions in the brain, capturing hundreds of data points related to cells, proteins, and physiological functions. After 24 hours, the brains used in the experiment will be cut into hundreds of tissue samples, allowing scientists to conduct more detailed analysis and research.
Since its establishment five years ago, Bexorg has conducted research on over 700 human brains. Using the BrainEx machine, they have gained insights into the mechanisms by which potential therapies can affect the brains of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They have also studied how long drugs remain in cells, whether they target specific molecules, and whether any side effects occur.
Bexorg CEO Zvonimir Vrselja said that a complete brain encompasses decades of environmental exposure, medical treatment history, and unique genetic information. All these factors can influence the response to experimental drugs. Compared to laboratory animals or cells in petri dishes, BrainEx can provide conditions that are closer to real-world scenarios.
The weekly journal Science states that Bexorg has maintained a low profile for a long time. Apart from early experiments involving pig brains, its founder has not published any papers regarding his research. However, Bexorg has begun to expand its operations. The newly established laboratory is equipped with a robotic arm, which is used to perform dissections of 1,600 brain tissues. This equipment helps the companys researchers analyze 11,000 types of proteins in the brains.
Furselya revealed that they are preparing to publish their first paper on the human brain.
Bexorg and one of its partners, the pharmaceutical company Biohaven, are conducting a clinical trial to test a drug that aims to enhance the energy supply in damaged brains. Part of the data used in the research was collected by Bexorg.
Biohavens Chief Scientific Officer, Bruce Car, believes that BrainEx could save traditional drug development processes years of time and millions of dollars in costs. He pointed out that current animal tests have significant flaws. A drug may successfully enter the brains of mice, but it cannot be guaranteed to also enter the brains of humans.
Biohavens team has utilized approximately 130 brains to test various drugs, including one that can prevent the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain during conditions such as Parkinsons disease. According to Karl, this drug did not interact with its target in mice, but it was effective in human brains, with a dosage that was only one-twentieth of what the team initially calculated.
Bexorg is considering expanding the scope of its research to include other types of diseases. According to Ferselia, the company may use BrainEx to study mental illnesses and cancer. It also hopes to be able to preserve brain activity in machines for up to two weeks, thereby collecting more data regarding the long-term effects of treatment.
However, Bexorgs technology and research have also sparked significant controversy, especially regarding ethical issues. Many people are concerned that these active brains might regain consciousness during the testing process, thereby causing pain to those undergoing the tests.
Regarding this concern, Brendan Parent, a bioethicist at New York University in the United States and a member of the Bexorg Ethical Advisory Committee, explained that the brains used in these experiments have essentially lost the neurons necessary to maintain minimal conscious activity. Researchers also used anesthetics such as propofol to suppress any potential electrical activities.
The weekly journal Science states that this means that the brain during the experiment is essentially in a state of neither alive nor dead.
Fursellia stated that Bexorgs research methods are applicable to neurodegenerative diseases, which generally do not involve brain electrical activity. Moreover, donors brains usually do not suffer from just one disease at a time. This phenomenon is difficult to replicate in laboratories.
He added that Bexorg works with specialized organizations responsible for organ donation to obtain brains. After being informed about the companys research process and scientific vision, most of the families of the volunteer donors expressed understanding and support toward the companys actions.
Other analysts question the effectiveness of this experiment. Cai Lihui, a neuroscientist at MIT, stated that the BrainEx brain isnt a perfect living model. For example, there may be significant differences in the mechanisms related to cerebrospinal fluid circulation, and inhibiting neuronal activity could also affect blood flow in the brain.
Biohavens Carl acknowledged that, due to the lack of electrical activity in these brains, it may not be possible to determine whether a certain drug can trigger epilepsy. He believed that other models could compensate for these shortcomings.
Many experts also express concerns regarding regulatory issues. As early as 2019, when Bexorg conducted research using pig brains, Stephen Latham, a bioethicist at Yale University, warned that this was a completely new type of research, and there was a lack of institutionalized regulations to govern such activities.
Latham said at that time, In certain situations, when consciousness is restored within the brain, we simply dont have an ethics committee to weigh and consider the pros and cons of such research.
Currently, the U.S. government is encouraging researchers and pharmaceutical companies to abandon animal tests and instead use human-based systems or computer models. In March of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a guidance document aimed at promoting the pharmaceutical industry to develop alternative methods to animal tests. The National Institutes of Health also announced investments of $150 million in developing such alternatives.
Some researchers are considering moving towards computer simulations. According to the journal *Science*, Bexorg is also developing a machine learning model called NeuroLens. This model is trained based on brain readings, donor medical records, and protein and microscopic data. The goal is to create virtual brains that can be used to study the effects of drugs.
As science and technology advance, scientists research into brain organoids has become more in-depth. However, public concerns regarding ethical issues have not been fully addressed. John Evans, a sociologist at the University of California, San Diego, pointed out that efforts to ensure that research does not violate ethical boundaries continue. The biggest problem is what we should do next; that remains unclear.
