“These are organized embryo-like structures modeled on the human embryo, but in my opinion they are not the equivalent of a human blastocyst obtained from an in vitro fertilization clinic,” said Amander Clark, member of the Polo Team and Chair in Molecular -, Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Polo’s team created their blastoids by reprogramming human skin cells and changing their cellular identity to form a series of mixed cells similar to those of an early human embryo.
They put the cells together in a 3-D jelly scaffold and found that the cells began to interact and organize into a round structure that resembled a human blastocyst. They call their discovery induced blastoids or iBlastoids.
Wu’s team took a different approach, using adult stem cells to create blastocyst-like structures.
Both reports were published in Nature on March 17.
The two studies “are exciting advancements,” said Peter Rugg-Gunn, genetic research group leader at the Babraham Institute in the UK.
“The work underscores the remarkable ability of cells to organize themselves in complex structures,” said Rugg-Gunn. “It is impressive that already in these first experiments defined substructures are formed that seem to imitate groundbreaking events in the early development, opening this process for experimental observation and study. The research provides an important new cell model for studying the early development of the People. Which could lead to a better understanding of infertility and early pregnancy loss. “
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The University of California at San Francisco is more concerned with the conception process.
SOURCES: Jose Polo, PhD, Professor of Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Jun Wu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Amander Clark, PhD, Chair in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles; Nature, March 17, 2021
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