Research published in the journal Cell on August 1, 2022, described how stem cell researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel created synthetic mouse embryos capable of growing for eight days without gametes. The creation has the potential to revolutionize human organ replacement.
The scientists started their research with numerous embryonic stem cells and used them to create embryos that were similar to mouse embryos. They included blood circulation, beating hearts, intestinal tracts, and folded brain tissue. After being placed into an artificial womb, these embryos matured for eight days, a third of the average mouse pregnancy duration.
With these results, scientists used the embryonic models to learn more about the formation of organs during pregnancy. In addition to calling the experiment a “game changer,” Alfonso Martinez Arias, a developmental biologist at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, wrote in an email, “This is an important landmark in our understanding of how embryos build themselves.” From the experiment, the study’s scientists wanted to understand how organs develop and use that knowledge to discover new ways to replace organs.
Regarding the purpose of the experiment, lead researcher Jacob Hanna remarked, “Our goal [was] not making pregnancy outside the uterus, whether it’s mice or any species … We [needed] to learn how the embryo [formed organs].” The newfound understanding from the recent experiment implied the possibility that a synthetic human embryo might be achievable in the future.
Henry T. Greely, a bioethicist at Stanford Law School, stated, “It’s an interesting next step, not shocking, but one that makes more plausible in the long run a proposition …: the possibility of turning any mouse cell into a living mouse.”
Similarly, Alex Meissner, a stem cell biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, explained, “The mouse is a starting point for thinking about how one wants to approach this in humans. It’s not necessary to be alarmed or raise any panic, but as we learn, it’s important to have in parallel the discussion: How far do we want to take it?” Last year, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) addressed Meissner’s ethical concerns.
In May 2021, the ISSCR decided to allow researchers to seek approval to surpass the 14-day limit for natural embryo growth. This adjustment allowed for more stem cell research.
However, the ISSCR banned implanting synthetic human embryos into uteri.
Renewal Bio, founded by lead researcher Hanna, plans to use the stem cell and embryo technology from this experiment to replace organs and preserve health.
Sources:
Scientists-create-synthetic-mouse-embryos-a-potential-key-to-healing-humans-The-Washington-Post-4
Download
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00981-3
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01387-z
The scientists started their research with numerous embryonic stem cells and used them to create embryos that were similar to mouse embryos. They included blood circulation, beating hearts, intestinal tracts, and folded brain tissue. After being placed into an artificial womb, these embryos matured for eight days, a third of the average mouse pregnancy duration.
With these results, scientists used the embryonic models to learn more about the formation of organs during pregnancy. In addition to calling the experiment a “game changer,” Alfonso Martinez Arias, a developmental biologist at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, wrote in an email, “This is an important landmark in our understanding of how embryos build themselves.” From the experiment, the study’s scientists wanted to understand how organs develop and use that knowledge to discover new ways to replace organs.
Regarding the purpose of the experiment, lead researcher Jacob Hanna remarked, “Our goal [was] not making pregnancy outside the uterus, whether it’s mice or any species … We [needed] to learn how the embryo [formed organs].” The newfound understanding from the recent experiment implied the possibility that a synthetic human embryo might be achievable in the future.
Henry T. Greely, a bioethicist at Stanford Law School, stated, “It’s an interesting next step, not shocking, but one that makes more plausible in the long run a proposition …: the possibility of turning any mouse cell into a living mouse.”
Similarly, Alex Meissner, a stem cell biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, explained, “The mouse is a starting point for thinking about how one wants to approach this in humans. It’s not necessary to be alarmed or raise any panic, but as we learn, it’s important to have in parallel the discussion: How far do we want to take it?” Last year, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) addressed Meissner’s ethical concerns.
In May 2021, the ISSCR decided to allow researchers to seek approval to surpass the 14-day limit for natural embryo growth. This adjustment allowed for more stem cell research.
However, the ISSCR banned implanting synthetic human embryos into uteri.
Renewal Bio, founded by lead researcher Hanna, plans to use the stem cell and embryo technology from this experiment to replace organs and preserve health.
Sources:
Scientists-create-synthetic-mouse-embryos-a-potential-key-to-healing-humans-The-Washington-Post-4
Download
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00981-3
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01387-z
