News29th October 2026
Leading organisations from across research, regulation, funding, and tissue banking are coming together to work with the NCOB to address ethical and governance gaps that have arisen from rapid developments in neural organoid science.
The Alliance has been established following a recommendation in our 2026 report, Neural organoids: Ethical and governance considerations, which called for key stakeholders to work together to develop best practice guidance. By creating this forum for organisations with different responsibilities and areas of expertise to convene, we seek to support members in contributing within their respective remits while working towards producing shared, practical guidance.
Neural organoids are small, three-dimensional models grown from human stem cells that can mimic aspects of human brain development and function. This rapidly advancing field has the potential to improve understanding of neurological conditions, support drug development, and advance biomedical research. As the models develop, questions arise about how research should be governed and what safeguards may be needed.
Our report found responsibility for oversight is distributed across stakeholders, with no single authority able to address all challenges alone. The Alliance provides an opportunity to bring these perspectives together and develop UK-focused best practice guidance for research involving neural organoids and related models and technologies. Its work will consider current research practices and anticipated scientific developments, including approaches that combine or integrate neural organoids with other biological models, non-human animals or computational technologies.
Through evidence gathering, stakeholder engagement, and expert collaboration, Alliance members will identify areas where greater clarity or consistency is needed. The guidance aims are likely to focus on addressing issues including informed consent, animal welfare, and the development of a shared understanding of what is meant by sentience in the context of neural organoids and related models, including those that may emerge as the science advances.
Taking forward this recommendation is an important step for neural organoid research. The NCOB is well placed to bring together the scientific, regulatory and funding perspectives needed to explore the challenges. The Alliance provides an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and inform discussions about the future governance of this evolving field.”
Martin Davies, Associate Director on Research and Policy at the NCOB
The Alliance brings together representatives from:
- Animals in Science Committee (ASC)
- Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU)
- British Neuroscience Association (BNA)
- Health Research Authority (HRA)
- Human Developmental Biology Resource (HDBR)
- Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB)
- Wellcome
Read our report: Neural organoids: Ethical and governance considerations