A team of scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science has produced synthetic mouse embryos from stem cells. Cultivated until halfway through the gestation period, these possessed all the organ progenitors, including a beating heart.
A great first
Published in the journal Cell, this study built on two previous breakthroughs by the Israeli team. The first consisted in reprogramming the stem cells in a state ” naive allowing them to differentiate into all types of cells, while the second had involved the development of a device to more efficiently cultivate embryos outside the uterus. By combining these two techniques, the team succeeded in obtaining some of the most advanced synthetic mouse embryos ever produced.
Naïve mouse stem cells, cultured in a Petri dish, were first separated into three groups that play key roles in embryo development.
While the first contained cells that would develop into embryonic organs, the other two were treated with master regulatory genes from extra-embryonic tissues (placenta and yolk sac). The three cell types were then mixed in the artificial womb, carefully controlling pressure and oxygen exchange, and simulating the natural flow of nutrients.
Once inside, the three cell types came together to form aggregates, capable of developing into embryo-like structures. As the team expected, only 0.5% of them (about 50 out of 10,000) managed to grow further.
These few ” lucky began to form spheres of cells, then elongated structures resembling natural embryos, complete with placentas and yolk sacs. After an eight-day development periodwhich is almost half the gestation period of the mouse, they had formed all the early progenitors of the organs (beating heart, nascent blood circulation, brain, intestinal tract and beginnings of a spinal column).
Important implications
On closer inspection, the study authors found that the shape of the internal structures and gene expression patterns of these synthetic embryos corresponded 95% to those of natural embryosand that their organs also appeared to be functional.
According to the team, this technique could help reduce the need for animal testing and ultimately be used for culturing tissues and organs for transplant.
” Instead of developing a different protocol to grow each cell type, for example, kidney or liver cells, we may one day be able to create a synthetic embryo-like model and then isolate the cells we need. “says Jacob Hanna, lead author of the study. ” We will not need to dictate to emerging organs how they should develop. It is the embryo itself that takes care of it best. »
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