Scientists Grow Human-Like Embryo Model Without Involvement Of Sperm Or Egg

Scientists recently achieved a remarkable feat after they managed to grow an entity that closely resembles an early human embryo. What makes this fascinating is that this was done without using sperm, eggs, or a womb.

The team from Weizmann Institute that created this embryo claims that their "embryo model," made using stem cells, looks like a 14-day-old embryo. To make matters more complex, the so-called embryo also released hormones that returned a positive pregnancy test in the lab.

WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE

Growing an embryo without sperm or egg

Scientists aren't really trying to grow a fully grown baby in a lab setting, but are attempting to ethically understand the earliest stages of embryo formation. This way, they can get insights into what causes birth defects and miscarriages. "It's a black box and that's not a clich¨¦ - our knowledge is very limited," Professor Jacob Hanna from the Weizmann Institute of Science told BBC.

In the research that was published in the journal Nature, the Israeli team described their work as the first "complete" embryo that managed to mimic all the key structures that form in the early embryo.

Also read: Scientists Develop Synthetic Embryos To Study Genetic Disorders And Miscarriages

Reuters

While such recreations have taken placed in the lab before, the team claims that nobody has managed to reach this stage of a 14-day embryo in this fashion

The team didn't use any sperm or egg, and instead used stem cells that were programmed to become ant type of tissue in the body. Then, chemicals were used to turn these stem cells into four types of cells found in the earliest stages of the human embryo.

Also read: Woman Gives Birth To Twin Babies From Embryos Frozen Over 30 Years Ago

120 such cells were mixed in a precise ratio after which 1% of the mixture began to assemble into a structure that resembles a human embryo. Why the 14-day cut off, you wonder? In most countries, embryo research isn't allowed beyond this period due to ethical concerns.

Reuters

Now, scientists hope that this embryo model can help them understand how different cells form and witness the earliest steps that form bodily organs and the inheritance of genetic diseases.

What do you think about this fascinating study? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.