Scientists develop 14-day human embryo without sperm, egg or womb
human embryo model using stem cells in an unconventional approach, bypassing the need for traditional sperm, egg, or a womb. Instead, they harnessed the power of reprogrammed stem cells to construct this unique model.
These synthetic embryo models exhibit all the characteristic structures and compartments found at this developmental stage, including the placenta, yolk sac, chorionic sac, and other external tissues crucial for dynamic and adequate growth, as stated by the researchers.
To craft this human embryo model, designed to resemble a textbook image of a human day-14 embryo, the scientists meticulously transformed stem cells into four distinct cell types: epiblast, hypoblast, extraembryonic mesoderm, and trophoblast.
These four cell types were then mixed in a precise ratio, with epiblast cells forming the embryo, trophoblast cells becoming the placenta, hypoblast cells supporting the yolk sac, and extraembryonic mesoderm cells contributing to overall embryo development.
«This is the first embryo model that has structural compartment organization and morphological similarity to a human embryo at day 14,» affirmed Prof. Jacob Hanna, the lead researcher, in an interview with The Guardian.
At the two-week mark, these cell clusters measured approximately half a millimeter in width.
This innovative achievement holds vast potential for various applications, including the study of the effects of medicines on real human embryos. Currently, many clinical trials exclude pregnant women, limiting our understanding of how medications affect developing embryos.
Additionally, researchers envision the creation of embryos using the skin cells of patients facing medical challenges.
Prof. Hanna explained, «Grow the model embryos for a
