It is possible that in the near future infertile women will have access to proto-embryos that will go on to develop into viable human offspring.
IFLScience.com IFL Science writes that scientists from Maastricht University and the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands have successfully used the stem cells of mice to initiate the process of pregnancy in a mouse womb. Using bundles of the stem cells, the researchers created an embryo in a dish and when placed in a womb, it triggered a biochemical reaction that began to prepare the womb for pregnancy. The embryo was created without the sperm or egg cells (gametes).
IFLScience.com It is hoped that the results will allow scientists to look into preventing miscarriages, improve in vitro fertilization, aid in the fight against diabetes and bring fertility to women who have been unable to host a zygote. “Our research helps to understand the perfect path an early embryo must take for a healthy development,” lead researcher Dr Nicolas Rivron said in a statement. By using a bundle of stem cells, scientists also hope to be able to develop new fertility drugs. “This breakthrough has opened up the black box of early pregnancy,” Rivron told AFP. “[The embryos] will help us better understand the hidden processes at the start of life, to find solutions for fertility problems, and to develop new drugs without the use of lab animals.”
Flickr IFL Science writes that “[m]ammal eggs develop into blastocysts a few days after they have been fertilized, a spherical ball of around 100 cells that become the placenta and the embryo. This research marked the first time that the self-organization of these cells had been triggered, dubbed ‘blastoids’.” A statement from the team said in part, “For the first time, it is now possible to form early model embryos in unlimited numbers that implant in utero [in the womb]." Professor Robin Lovell-Badge from the UK’s Francis Crick Institute, says that for the moment at least, there are no plans to create a cache of lab-grown human stem cell proto-embryos. “This is a pity for basic research because it would be very useful to have a limitless supply of human blastocyst-like stage embryos,” he said. “However, it may come as a relief to others that such a method of producing many genetically identical human embryo-like structures that might be capable of implantation is not feasible.”
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