In New Haven, Connecticut, biotech startup Bexorg maintains over 700 human brains in a state between life and death using its proprietary BrainEx machines. These organs, sourced from organ donors, are kept metabolically active for 24 hours with artificial blood substitutes, allowing researchers to test experimental drugs under conditions far more realistic than animal models or cell cultures.

Sensors capture cellular reactions as brains metabolize therapies for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Early data, including a 2025 poster, shows preserved brains match living brains in response. Pharmaceutical partner Biohaven has used about 130 brains to test drugs, finding one effective at a dose 20 times lower than mouse models predicted, potentially saving a year of development.

The company has raised $42.5 million and is automating its process with a robotic arm to handle up to 1,600 brains annually. While ethicists confirm the anesthetized brains lack consciousness, questions remain about modeling full brain physiology. The platform arrives as U.S. regulators push to reduce animal testing, positioning Bexorg's human-based system as a powerful new tool for predicting drug safety and efficacy in the brain.