23 July 2018 17:17
Ground-breaking research could transform the understanding of early embryonic development but raises ethical concerns.
AN ERECTOR SET OF SORTS
AN ERECTOR SET OF SORTS
Artificial embryos built from scratch (well almost from scratch ... who built the stem cells?) using stem cells have been created by scientists.
SCIENTISTS GET THEIR "CHEAP THRILLS" ELSEWHERE
Researchers bypassed the act of fertilization by growing the self-assembling structures in the laboratory.
Although the cells used came from mice (as Obama and the right say: "you didn't build that!"), the experiment has opened up a new frontier in embryo research with major ethical implications.
Creating embryos in the lab is expected to help scientists unlock the mysteries of (self-organizing structures) early human development.
Scientists generate key life event in artificial mouse ‘embryo’ created from stem cells. https://t.co/IBtbKfaeK1pic.twitter.com/cErP9HGgaw
— Cambridge University (@Cambridge_Uni) July 23, 2018
However, one expert said any artificial embryos made from human stem cellswould have to will be the subject of an “ethical discussion”.
A BIT LATE FOR THAT ...
SCIENTISTS GET THEIR "CHEAP THRILLS" ELSEWHERE
Researchers bypassed the act of fertilization by growing the self-assembling structures in the laboratory.
Although the cells used came from mice (as Obama and the right say: "you didn't build that!"), the experiment has opened up a new frontier in embryo research with major ethical implications.
Creating embryos in the lab is expected to help scientists unlock the mysteries of (self-organizing structures) early human development.
Scientists generate key life event in artificial mouse ‘embryo’ created from stem cells. https://t.co/IBtbKfaeK1pic.twitter.com/cErP9HGgaw
— Cambridge University (@Cambridge_Uni) July 23, 2018
However, one expert said any artificial embryos made from human stem cells
A BIT LATE FOR THAT ...
Attempting to create a baby from such a technique would be outlawed in the UK.
WHAT'S NEXT A 3D PRINTER WITH BIO-INK?
WHAT'S NEXT A 3D PRINTER WITH BIO-INK?
The Cambridge University team led by Professor Magdalena Zernica-Goetz had previously used two types of stem cell and a “jelly” scaffold to produce a much simpler 3D structure resembling a mouse embryo.
Now the scientists have taken a big step forward by bringing together all three stem cell types that form the basis of a fully formed (SELF-ORGANIZING STRUCTURE) embryo.
For the first time, the embryo-like structures they created were capable of “gastrulation” – the critical point at which an embryo divides into three distinct layers that determine the future fate of its cells. NOTE: Now that leads to the question of where does the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO come from the "jelly"?
Only after gastrulation can an embryo go on to develop into a viable fetus with all its tissues and organs in the right place. WOW: HOW DID IT KNOW THAT?
Now the scientists have taken a big step forward by bringing together all three stem cell types that form the basis of a fully formed (SELF-ORGANIZING STRUCTURE) embryo.
For the first time, the embryo-like structures they created were capable of “gastrulation” – the critical point at which an embryo divides into three distinct layers that determine the future fate of its cells. NOTE: Now that leads to the question of where does the ID, EGO and SUPEREGO come from the "jelly"?
Only after gastrulation can an embryo go on to develop into a viable fetus with all its tissues and organs in the right place. WOW: HOW DID IT KNOW THAT?
(Craig Brierley/Cambridge University)
Prof Zernicka-Goetz said: “Proper gastrulation in normal development is only possible if you have all three types of stem cell. In order to reconstruct this complex dance, we had to add the missing third stem cell. (and add the music such as Johann Strauss II's 1866 Blue Danube Waltz, Richard Strauss' symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra, and György Ligeti's Atmosphères for the dance)
Cells from the endoderm – the innermost layer – go on to form the digestive system, liver, pancreas and inner part of the lungs.
The mesoderm, or middle layer, produces the circulatory system, lung surfaces, skeleton and muscular system. The outer ectoderm contains the blueprint for the hair, nails, skin and nervous system.
The research is reported in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Dr. Berna Sozen, another member of the Cambridge team, said: “I still clearly remember the moment that I and my co-author saw these structures for the first time. It was a breathtaking moment. Those moments are what we live for in science.”
Prof Zernicka-Goetz pointed out that early stages of embryonic development often held the key to unsuccessful pregnancies but remained little understood.
She added: “Now we have a way of simulating embryonic development in the culture dish, so it should be possible to understand exactly what is going on during this remarkable period in an embryo’s life, and why sometimes this process fails.”
Under British law, only donated human embryos less than 14 days old can be studied in the laboratory, after which they have to be destroyed.
LIFE IS AN ARTIFICAL CONSTRUCT
Artificial embryos could help scientists study events in human pregnancies beyond day 14 without breaking this rule.
Dr. Christophe Galichet, from the Frances Crick Institute in London, said: “It is not too far-fetched to think the technique could one day be applied to studying early human embryos."
These self-assembled human embryos would be an invaluable tool to understand early human development as well as understanding when things go wrong, but we are not there yet.
YOU HAVE DOUBTS?
“Furthermore, an ethical discussion would need to assess the status of these self-organized embryos if the method described in this paper did work with human stem cells.”
HAL CLOSE THE POD DOORS, P-L-E-A-S-E!
Prof Zernicka-Goetz said: “Proper gastrulation in normal development is only possible if you have all three types of stem cell. In order to reconstruct this complex dance, we had to add the missing third stem cell. (and add the music such as Johann Strauss II's 1866 Blue Danube Waltz, Richard Strauss' symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra, and György Ligeti's Atmosphères for the dance)
“By replacing the jelly that we used in earlier experiments with this third type of stem cell, we were able to generate structures whose development was astonishingly successful.”The artificial (self-organizing structures) embryos were observed undergoing gastrulation and organizing themselves into the three fundamental body layers, known as the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm.
Cells from the endoderm – the innermost layer – go on to form the digestive system, liver, pancreas and inner part of the lungs.
The mesoderm, or middle layer, produces the circulatory system, lung surfaces, skeleton and muscular system. The outer ectoderm contains the blueprint for the hair, nails, skin and nervous system.
The research is reported in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Dr. Berna Sozen, another member of the Cambridge team, said: “I still clearly remember the moment that I and my co-author saw these structures for the first time. It was a breathtaking moment. Those moments are what we live for in science.”
Prof Zernicka-Goetz pointed out that early stages of embryonic development often held the key to unsuccessful pregnancies but remained little understood.
She added: “Now we have a way of simulating embryonic development in the culture dish, so it should be possible to understand exactly what is going on during this remarkable period in an embryo’s life, and why sometimes this process fails.”
Under British law, only donated human embryos less than 14 days old can be studied in the laboratory, after which they have to be destroyed.
LIFE IS AN ARTIFICAL CONSTRUCT
Artificial embryos could help scientists study events in human pregnancies beyond day 14 without breaking this rule.
Dr. Christophe Galichet, from the Frances Crick Institute in London, said: “It is not too far-fetched to think the technique could one day be applied to studying early human embryos."
These self-assembled human embryos would be an invaluable tool to understand early human development as well as understanding when things go wrong, but we are not there yet.
YOU HAVE DOUBTS?
“Furthermore, an ethical discussion would need to assess the status of these self-organized embryos if the method described in this paper did work with human stem cells.”
HAL CLOSE THE POD DOORS, P-L-E-A-S-E!
