[zeronight]

The part I can't get past, where would you source live human brain cells?

Does anyone have insight into how you would even start to source or grow/create the cells?

Also the machines look very organic and clearly have to keep the cells alive. Do they have to change them out every so often?

[drzaiusx11]

There's a number of "immortal" human cell lines dating back to as far as the 1950s (you may have heard of Henrietta Lacks? [1] and the immortal HeLa cell line).

Today there are several immortalized neuron cell lines used in research to model neuronal function, like HeLa but of neuron type obviously, that are also typically derived from tumours (e.g., SH-SY5Y, PC12) or immortalized via genetic modification (e.g., v-myc) like CTX0E03 [2] which was designed to allow for continuous growth in the presence of particular reagents.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks

2. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reneuron-announces-...

[Aerroon]

This definitely helped with my disgust reaction.

[drzaiusx11]

Besides not getting consent in the case of HeLa, which part do you find problematic? Cancerous cell's ability to self-clone/grow is as much a feature as it is a bug in this particular use case.

I ask as someone who's has personally experienced loss of several loved ones from cancer (as most people my age probably have), but doesn't share your aversion to this particular use case (research.)

[Aerroon]

I meant that the original article evoked disgust, but finding out that they're cancer cells muted that a bit.

[drzaiusx11]

Yeah I do feel the OA is being overly flippant with their use of human cells here, likely for PR sake, which would be an ethical breach for me personally. Overall though, I find most research cases for human cell lines to be in line with my personal ethics. Neuron lines can certainly be used for good or ill, and this case leans towards the latter, although understanding the human brain may justify this line of work in the long term. If only we didn't live in a militaristic late stage capitalist society...

[fenykep]

I think the Thought Emporium youtube channel has some explanatory [videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEXefdbQDjw) of the whole process. I couldn't wrap my head around the thing tho.

[hessart]

ahem

If you're in the US, you can buy human neurons online at sciencellonline.com/en/human-neurons/

[lateforwork]

They are lab grown.