Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing

Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing By restoring some functions to intact brains from deceased donors, the startup Bexorg hopes to create a better drug development test bed for neurodegenerative diseases 20 MAY 2026 11:40 AM DISEMBODIED HUMAN BRAINS KEPT ALIVE POSTMORTEM Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing By restoring some functions to intact brains from deceased donors, the startup Bexorg hopes to create a better drug development test bed for neurodegenerative diseases 20 MAY 2026 11:40 AM THAT I LOOK AND JUST IMMEDIATELY SHOULD NOT BE DOING THIS BUT OF THEM AND IT IS FASCINATING TO STARE AT A WALL FOR DECIDE HOW I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS ONE Restoration of brain circulation and cellular functions hours post-mortem Zvonimir Vrsalja et al. Nature, 2019 Apr. Show details Full text links Cite Abstract The brains of human mammals are highly vulnerable to blood flow and decreases in oxygen. We describe the restoration of microcirculation and cellular functions of the intact brain ex vivo normothermic conditions 4 hours post- mortem. We have restored pulsatile based on and cy recovery prevent the sys IN 2019 WORLD WHEN THEY REVIVED PIG BRAINS FOUR HOURS POST- MORTEM THEY RESTORED CIRCULATION AND SOME CELL ACTIVITY GLOBAL CELL ACTIVITY WAS BUT CONSCIOUSNESS WAS NOT AND THEY'VE TAKEN THEIR VISION ONE STEP FURTHER AND REVIVED HUMAN BRAINS NOW BRAIN IN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PHILOSOPHICAL CONVERSATION BECAUSE HOW CAN THAT WE ARE TRULY EXPERIENCING THE WORLD WHEN WE ARE INSIDE OF A RELY ON EXTERNAL INPUT TO TELL US WHAT'S THERE WELL THAT HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A REAL VAT BRAIN IN IT 24 HOURS AGO PERSON NOW THE RESEARCHERS THE BRAINS ARE UNDER HEAVY SEDATION SO EVEN IF ANY CONSCIOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY REACHED THE POINT OF BRAIN DEATH WELL THEY WOULDN'T REALLY BE EXPERIENCING ANYTHING ALTHOUGH THEIR VISION HAS REMOVING THE ANESTHESIA SO THAT THEY CAN WORK WITH THEM THIS SHOULD HELP THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICATION IT GIVES US WE CAN WORK ACTUALLY A HUMAN BRAIN KEPT ALIVE CURRENTLY THEY'RE ONLY ALIVE TERM ALTHOUGH THEY ARE LOOKING TO EXTEND IT TWO WEEKS POSSIBLY LONGER NOW THIS HAS SOME GREAT ADVANTAGES OVER ORGANOIDS WHICH MY FAVOURITE SCIENCE ODDITIES YES YOU CAN GROW A TINY VERSION BRAIN USING STEM CELLS HOWEVER THE ORGANOIDS WELL BE KEPT ALIVE FOR YEARS THEY HAVE THE ARE ESSENTIALLY INFANTS YES THEIR GENE ACTIVITY MATCHES THEIR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE YOU KEEP THEM YEARS OR MORE THEY ESSENTIALLY HAVE THE GENE EXPRESSION YEAR OLD BRAIN HUMAN BRAINS THAT HAS BEEN ALIVE FOR FEASIBLY YEARS YOU THEN HAVE AGE AGE CELLS WILL INTERACT WHEN YOU DO STUFF TO THEM In house Circulation Brain connected artificial blood and support system via vascular system Operating system "Heart" Sensors Brain "Lungs" Fluid samples "Immune system" "Kidney" "Blood" Figure 1. The BrainEx human disease brains intact, molecularly and ce system. An acellular nutrients, homeostasis, pharmacological be assessed. lished a platform postmortem human its endo THAT SYSTEM IS SYNTHETIC BODY THIS IS SOMETHING HAVE NOT INVENTED OR BRAIN ORGANOID YET IT ALREADY HAS ALL THE BRAIN THAT SHOULD COOPERATE WITH THE BODY IT HAS SYNTHETIC LUNGS THAT EXCHANGE OXYGEN WITH THE AIR THAT IS DELIVERED HEART AND A SYNTHETIC CIRCULATORY SYSTEM BRAIN WAS GROWN INSIDE A HUMAN FEASIBLY IT HAS ALL OF THE STRUCTURES TO RECEIVE THOSE NUTRIENTS LIKE BRAIN ORGANOIDS IT ALSO IS COVERED IN SENSORS IS GOING ON INSIDE OF THE BRAIN PEOPLE WHO DONATED THESE BRAINS WERE USUALLY ELDERLY AND USUALLY HAD SOME DETERIORATING CONDITION LIKE PARKINSON'S OR ALZHEIMER'S THIS MEANS THAT WE CAN TREAT FOR THESE CONDITIONS AND FIGURE OUT HOW WELL MEDICATIONS A PERSON THIS IS THE HUGE ADVANTAGE OVER MOUSE MODELS ORGANOID MODELS WHICH AGAIN MODEL ESSENTIALLY A BABY BRAIN I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THIS INFORMATION TO GO STARE AT A WALL FOR WHILE LONGER I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS YET OF THE CUTTING EDGE YOU KNOW I'LL BRING IT