Study: A Stem Cell-Based Human Embryo Model Could Shed Light On Why Some Pregnancies Are Unsuccessful

According to the study, developing a knowledge of these early developmental processes has the potential to shed light on some of the causes of human birth abnormalities and disorders as well as help in the creation of prenatal screening tools. Until now, the processes could only be observed in animal models, using cells from zebrafish and mice, for example.

“This exciting evolution allows us to manipulate genes to understand their developmental roles in a model system. This will let us test the function of specific factors, which is difficult to do in the natural embryo,” said Zernicka-Goetz. Until now, only the early stages of human development have been studied by scientists using donated human embryos.

This development might lessen the demand for donated human embryos in scientific studies. While these models can simulate some elements of the development of human embryos, according to Zernicka-Goetz, they cannot and will not mature to the same level as postnatal people.

Although the new models made from human stem cells lack a brain and a heart that beats, they do include cells that would ordinarily develop into the embryo, placenta, and yolk sac, and eventually become the germline cells that will eventually give rise to sperm and eggs. Many pregnancies terminate in miscarriage at the stage when these three cell types coordinate implantation into the uterus and begin to communicate with each other mechanically and chemically to instruct the embryo on how to develop.