What Are Brain Organoids and How Can They Help Advance COVID-19 Research?
Channel: HMS Center for Bioethics
Date: 2021-02-23

Ethics in Research and Biotechnology Consortia
November 20, 2020

Presented by 
Madeline Lancaster, PhD
Group Leader, Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK

The human brain is greatly enlarged and elaborate compared with that of other mammals. While this complexity enables our unique cognitive capabilities, it also leads to greater sensitivity to even subtle abnormalities, causing sometimes devastating neurological conditions. To better understand the processes underlying human brain development and disease, Dr. Lancaster's team has developed 3D stem cell derived tissues called brain organoids. 

Join Dr. Hyun and Dr. Lancaster for this interactive session on how brain organoids are already revealing key differences in the developing human brain compared with other mammals and are providing new insights into neurological manifestations of COVID-19.

Learn more about the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics at https://bioethics.hms.harvard.edu/