Public Event „No Brain(er)?! The Science, Ethics, and Philosophy of Neural Organoids"
A public panel discussion opening the interdiciplinary conference "Emerging Biotechnologies and Ethics“ at the Marsilius Kolleg
Brain Organoids are stem cell-derived tissues, that can be grown to partly resemble a (human) brain in terms of its cellular development and functionality. Research into these models is promising in many respects, even though brain-organoid research is still in its relative infancy and there are important questions left to clarify.
This event aims to make the scientific, ethical and philosophical dimensions of the topic of “brain organoids” accessible to an interested public. To this end, neurobiologist Simone Mayer (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), philosopher Nora Heinzelmann (University of Heidelberg) and bioethicist S. Matthew Liao (New York University) will present their fascinating research and discuss it from an interdisciplinary perspective. Questions from the audience will also be taken. The evening will be moderated by materials scientist Christine Selhuber-Unkel and theological ethicist Thorsten Moos (both University of Heidelberg). The event will be recorded and published, admission is free and there will be a reception afterwards.
The panel discussion is the kick-off event for the two-day, non-public symposium “Emerging Biotechnologies and Ethics”, which is being jointly organized by the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM), the Marsilius Kolleg and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (MPImR). Both activities are sponsored by the Health and Life Science Alliance Heidelberg-Mannheim, the Cluster of Excellence 3DMM2O, the Flagship Initiative Engineering Molecular Systems (FI EMS) and Springer Nature.
Date:
Thursday, 28 November 2024, 19:00
Venue:
Aula der Neuen Universität
Grabengasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg
Panelists:
Prof. Dr. Nora Heinzelmann, Philosophy, Heidelberg University
Prof. Dr. S. Matthew Liao, Bioethics, New York University (NYU)
Prof. Dr. Simone Mayer, Systemic Cellular Neurobiology, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT)
Moderators:
Prof. Dr. Christine Selhuber-Unkel, Material Science, Heidelberg University
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Moos, Theology and Ethics, Heidelberg University
The Conference is hosted by:
Marsilius Kolleg of Heidelberg University
Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) of Heidelberg University
Institute for Philosophy, Heidelberg University
Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research
