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Part-revived pig brains raise slew of ethical quandaries

Researchers need guidance on animal use and the many issues opened up by a new study on whole-brain restoration, argue Nita A. Farahany, Henry T. Greely and Charles M. Giattino.
  1. Nita A. Farahany

    1. Nita A. Farahany is professor of law and philosophy at Duke University, and director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

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  2. Henry T. Greely

    1. Henry T. Greely is professor of law, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences, and director of the Stanford Program in Neuroscience and Society at Stanford University, California, USA.

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  3. Charles M. Giattino

    1. Charles M. Giattino is a PhD researcher in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

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Pigs are seen standing in a pen at a farm.

Pigs raised for food production are exempt from welfare laws governing how research animals are treated. Credit: Rodolfo Buhrer/Reuters

Scientists have restored and preserved some cellular activities and structures in the brains of pigs that had been decapitated for food production four hours before. The researchers saw circulation in major arteries and small blood vessels, metabolism and responsiveness to drugs at the cellular level and even spontaneous synaptic activity in neurons, among other things. The team formulated a unique solution and circulated it through the isolated brains using a network of pumps and filters called BrainEx. The solution was cell-free, did not coagulate and contained a haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier and a wide range of pharmacological agents.

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Nature 568, 299-302 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01168-9

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