Researchers at FinalSpark, a lab in Vevey, are creating “mini-brains” from stem cells derived from human skin. The organoids are attached to electrodes and tested for their ability to respond to electrical signals, raising hopes they could one day power energy-efficient data centres.
The work is led by Dr Fred Jordan, FinalSpark’s co-founder, who calls the technology “wetware.”
“In science fiction, people have been living with these ideas for quite a long time,” he said.
“When you start to say, ‘I’m going to use a neuron like a little machine,’ it’s a different view of our own brain and it makes you question what we are.”
In the lab, biologist Dr Flora Brozzi demonstrated organoids developed over several months. The tiny spheres of neurons can survive for up to four months, though keeping them alive remains a major challenge. “Organoids don’t have blood vessels,” said Simon Schultz, professor of Neurotechnology at Imperial College London. “The human brain has blood vessels that provide nutrients to keep it working. We don’t yet know how to make them properly.”
Jordan said some organoids display bursts of activity before dying, similar to brain activity observed at the end of human life. “There have been a few events when we had a very fast increase in activity just the last minutes or 10s of seconds,” he said.
FinalSpark is not alone in the field. Australian company Cortical Labs announced in 2022 it had taught artificial neurons to play Pong, while researchers at Johns Hopkins University are building mini-brains to study neurological diseases.
Dr Lena Smirnova, who leads the Johns Hopkins team, said biocomputing is promising but still early stage. “Biocomputing should complement – not replace – silicon AI, while also advancing disease modelling and reducing animal use,” she said.
Schultz agreed the technology is unlikely to surpass silicon-based systems but may find specific uses. Jordan remains motivated by its origins. “I’ve always been a fan of science fiction,” he said. “Now I feel like I’m in the book, writing the book.”