Enough with animal testing! Science is now conducting studies with the brains of dead people
2026-05-24 13:46:23
TiranaPost
Scientists are keeping the human brains of dead people in "artificial life" to use instead of animal testing.
American startup Bexorg, based in Connecticut, is pushing the boundaries of biotechnology by keeping donated human brains after death in artificial function, with the aim of them serving as the most advanced environment for drug testing.
Through a system called BrainEx, scientists circulate artificial blood and nutrients into donated organs shortly after death. Unlike lab mice or traditional cell cultures, this brain retains up to 80 years of real-world environmental exposure and complex genetic characteristics, giving researchers a closer look at how experimental therapies for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's respond to real human tissue.
The system monitors how drugs penetrate cells and act on molecular targets, creating a much more precise bridge between laboratory theory and clinical reality.
According to the report, this technology has also begun to be used in clinical stages, while pharmaceutical companies like Biohaven are using Bexorg data for FDA-approved trials of new metabolic treatments for the brain.
To avoid ethical concerns over the possibility of consciousness, the brain is kept under deep anesthesia to prevent coordinated neural activity.
The company aims to analyze over 1,600 brains per year, with the goal of replacing traditional animal testing models and significantly reducing drug development costs.
By combining robotics with human biology, Bexorg aims to create a virtual database of the human brain that could help find cures for the world's most devastating neurological diseases.
