It's possible to see a lot about organ growth, fertility, and disease in the earliest conversations between tissues. It could tell us how to grow replacements from scratch.
An experiment led by researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK has developed a living model of a mouse embryo complete with heart tissues and the beginnings of a brain.
The recent success of a team comprised of some of the same scientists who pushed the limits on mimicking the embryonic development of mice using stem cells that had never seen the inside of a mouse womb has been advances.
Stem cells from parts of an embryo that would grow into an animal have been the focus of embryology research in the past.
This method has resulted in clumps of cells with the basic structures of a gut and neural tube.
Thegastruloid model lacks in function. Many features expected to develop alongside these tissues aren't present, making it hard to draw parallels between the model and an actual growing embryo.
Brain-like structures can be encouraged, as well as functioning heart tissue and a more complex gut tube. There are only so many solutions based on relatively simple hormonal soups.
All mammals begin life in the same way. After fertilization, the first cell splits into two parts, one that creates the animal and the other that contributes to the growth of the mother's body.
If the first can generate a model embryo on its own, having the second two groups of cells nearby provides the necessary chemical negotiations that promote a lot of small changes in the developing animal.
The team found their model could progress under its own steam to develop a nervous system equivalent to a natural mouse embryo after mixing stem cells from these three major tissue groups.
A single day of development for an unborn mouse is what the step is. A lot can happen in a single day.
The embryoid contained heart tissue that twitched out a beat, as well as the start of structures that in an actual embryo could build parts of the skeleton, muscles, and other tissues beneath the skin.
The model wouldn't be able to develop into a baby mouse on its own. Stem cells alone are not enough to produce a functional organ from a whole animal.
While the resemblance is significant in research, it is only skin deep, lacking the signals that would allow it to transform into a fully formed organisms.
Researchers can observe and ethically test genetic changes that could improve our understanding of how our bodies grow if they have a collection of tissues that reflect development outside of a body.
"To be able to see how it happens in a dish, to have access to these individual stem cells, to understand why so many pregnancies fail and how we might be able to prevent that from happening is quite special."
There is evidence that the process can be improved to better mimic natural development.
The question of when a'close copy' becomes 'too close' is one of the topics being discussed by UK legislators.
With future research aiming to swap out mouse cells in order to advance existing human embryoid development, it is a difficult question that is bound to be pulled apart.
It's important to strike a balance in fields that don't involve embryology.
There are a lot of people waiting for an organ transplant.
The knowledge coming out of our work could be used to create synthetic human organs that could save lives.
The research was published in a scientific journal.
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