Scientists Develop Synthetic Embryos To Study Genetic Disorders And Miscarriages
Scientists have used stem cells to create synthetic embryos, marking a gigantic leap in this field. The most astonishing thing about this development is that these embryos were created without the need for eggs or sperm, scientists say.
The synthetic embryos are closest to the earliest stages of human development and could help scientists develop a better understanding of genetic disorders and the biological causes of miscarriages.
These embryos do not have a beating heart or the initial stages of brain cell development. But the embryo itself is present. Such creations raise serious questions surrounding ethics considering most countries do not have relevant legislation for the potential of lab-grown babies.
What is the value of synthetic embryos?
Scientists announced their findings at the Internal Society for Stem Cell Research's annual meeting in Boston, United States. The research was headed by Professor Magdalena ?ernicka-Goetz of the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology, The Guardian reported.
"We can create human embryo-like models by the reprogramming of [embryonic stem] cells," she said. Even then, currently there are no plans to use synthetic embryos clinically. It is currently unknown if these initial structures have the scope to mature beyond the earliest stages of development, and it would be illegal to implant the same into a patient's womb.
Scientists' end goal is not to create lab-grown babies, but to understand the process of embryo formation more effectively. Based on current global frameworks, researchers can cultivate human embryos in the lab legally up to a limit of 14 days. With such enquiries, scientists hope to get insight into the "black box" period of embryo development.
Also read:?World's First 'Synthetic Embryos' Created Without Sperm, Eggs, And Fertilisation
Such knowledge could help them understand why certain babies are born with disorders, and perhaps find a solution to prevent the same in the near-future. Earlier, the same team and another one from the Weizmann Institute in Israel showed that stem cells from mice may be forced to assemble into structures that are like early embryos that possess an intestinal tract, the starting of a brain, and a beating heart.
Scientists have been battling it out to see how feasible the same would be in human models. And many teams have managed to replicate the same on the very initial stages of human embryo development in a lab setting.?
Also read:?Scientists Can Now Grow Bigger Human Embryos In Labs To Unlock Health Secrets
While the detailed study from Cambridge-Caltech isn't out yet, ?ernicka-Goetz said that they're managed to cultivate the embryos to a stage equivalent to 14 days of development for a natural embryo.
What do you think about this advancement? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.??
