Scientists at the University of Cambridge, for the first time in history, invented the “synthetic” embryo, with a heartbeat, a brain, and parts of every other organ. These stem cells were developed to the point where the entire brain began to form. Researchers considered this the greatest achievement in any other stem cell method.
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, a researcher and professor of mammalian development and stem cell biology at the University of Cambridge in England, stated, “in our mouse embryo model, not just a brain and a beating heart, but all the elements that subsequently make up the body develop.”
This study might help scientists to know why some embryos do not result in successful pregnancies while others do. The study can also aid in creating and repairing artificial human organs for transplant.
With natural processes in the lab, three different stem cell types, at the early mammalian stage, were able to interact.
The scientists were able to have the stem cells interact by inciting a certain set of genes and creating an environment for the cells to communicate, according to the press release.
Professor Zernicka-group Goetz’s has effortlessly been studying the early stages of pregnancy to figure out why some pregnancies fail while others turn out to be positive.
Magdalena added, “we’ve come a long way, and it’s truly wonderful. For the ten years, this was the long-term objective of our community, and now that it has been achieved.”
