The team treated human cells with chemicals to activate certain genes (representational)
Paris:
Scientists have developed a human embryo “plan” using human stem cells in a breakthrough that could provide vital insight into the early stages of infant development, new research revealed on Thursday.
Teams from Cambridge University and the Netherlands-based Hubrecht Institute have said that their model would allow them to observe novel processes underlying the formation of the human body.
The disposition of humans – known as the body plane – occurs through a process known as gastrulation, where three distinct layers of cells are formed in the embryo that will later give birth to the three main systems of the body: nervous, musculoskeletal and digestive.
Gastrulation is known as the “black box” period of human development because legal restrictions prevent scientists from developing embryos in the laboratory beyond 14 days.
The team behind the study, published in Nature, said that their model resembles an 18 to 21 day old embryo, roughly the same time that gastrulation occurs.
Many birth defects occur during this period, and a better understanding of gastrulation could help us understand problems such as infertility, miscarriages, and genetic disorders, the researchers said.
“Our model produces part of a human’s plan,” said lead author Alfonso Martinez-Arias, of the Cambridge Department of Genetics.
“It’s exciting to see the development processes that have so far been hidden from view – and under study.”
To create the three-dimensional models, known as gastruloids, the team collected tight bundles of human cells and treated them with chemicals that acted as signals to activate certain genes.
It is the first time, according to the researchers, that human stem cells were used to create a 3D model human embryo, after a few tests using mouse and zebrafish stem cells.
Scientists have pointed out that gastruloids never develop into fully formed embryos because they have no brain cells and lack tissue for implantation in the uterus.
Nevertheless, they were able to observe about 72 hours of model development and identify obvious signs of the events that led to the formation of muscles, bones and cartilage.
Jeremy Green, professor of developmental biology at King’s College London, said the study was a “fantastic window” on the early formation of the human body.
“(It) highlights the incredible power of self-organizing cells and tissues in the right conditions,” added Green, who was not involved in the research.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
