Scientists Create Synthetic Mouse Embryos Without Sperm or Eggs

A group of scientists in the UK created a mouse embryo that did not contain eggs or sperm cells.

Despite ethical concerns, it is a breakthrough in the field of genetic engineering that could potentially lay the groundwork for synthetic human embryos.

According to a new paper published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge turned mouse stem cells into an embryo that was able to grow a brain, heart, and other organs for just over a week.

"This is the first model that allows you to study brain development in the context of the developing mouse embryo," said Zernicka-Goetz.

She said that the stage of development has relevance for the rest of the life.

Stem cells were able to divide and form an embryo on their own, which allowed them to live for up to eight and a half days.

The other scientists were excited.

The bio engineer at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in the research, told Nature that it was very exciting. Synthetic stem-cell based human embryo will be the next milestone in this field.

Llus Montoliu, who was not involved in the research, told the Associated Press that we are facing a new technological revolution, still very inefficient, but with enormous potential.

He compared it to the birth of Dolly the sheep.

Just weeks ago, researchers in Israel announced the creation of the world's first lab-grown "synthetic embryo" in a specially designed incubator. The team was led by a Weizmann Institute of Science scientist.

Scientists are able to observe the development of embryo outside of the uterus. It allows scientists to modify the embryo's genes much more quickly.

It is possible for scientists to learn why many human pregnancies end early.

It's still years away from applying what they've learned to humans.

There are a lot of ethical concerns around such research. Stem cell researchers don't allow human embryos to live past 14 days.

Stem cell research has come a long way and the ability to grow embryo with organs without a uterus, sperm or egg is a great example.

In the future, similar experiments will be done with human cells and that, at some point, will yield similar results. The impact of these experiments on the society should be considered before they happen.

Mouse embryo grown without eggs or sperm. There is nature.

There is controversy surrounding the world's first-ever synthetic embryo.