Lectures and seminars The history, future and ethics of self-experimentation
The seminar is held by Dr Matt Lennon and Prof Zoltan Moltar from University of Oxford, member of the European University of Brain and Technology - NeurotechEU. NeurotechEU is an alliance were Karolinska Institutet also is a member.
Modern day “neurohackers” are radically self-experimenting, attempting genomic modification with CRISPR-Cas9 constructs and electrode insertion into their cortex amongst a host of other things. Institutions wanting to avoid the risks bought on by these procedures, generally avoid involvement with self-experimenting research.
But what is the ethical thing to do? Should researchers be allowed or encouraged to self-experiment? Should institutions support or hinder them? Where do you think that this process of self-experimentation could take us?
This presentation by Dr Matt Lennon and Professor Zoltan Molnar of the University of Oxford, will explore the history, future and ethics of self-experimentation. It will explore notable examples of self-experimenters including Isaac Newton, Angelo Ruffini and Oliver Sacks and how a number of these pivotal experiments created paradigm shifts in neuroscience. The presentation will open up a forum for all participants to be involved asking key ethical questions around what should and should not be allowed in self-experimentation research.