The Guardian: British scientists create artificial human embryos from stem cells

By Reem Abdel Hamid

Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 10:35 am

Scientists have created artificial human embryos Stem cellsBritish newspaper The Guardian described it as a major breakthrough, meaning no eggs or sperm are needed.

According to the journalist, these embryos, which resemble embryos in the early stages of human development, can provide an important window into the impact of genetic disorders and biological causes of recurrent miscarriage, according to the scientists. And the legal issues surrounding those structures were produced in a laboratory outside the current regulations of the UK and other countries.

These embryonic structures do not have the beginnings of a heartbeat or brain, but contain cells that form the placenta, yolk sac, and embryo.

Magdalena Cernica Kotter, a professor at the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology, spoke about the work in a keynote address Wednesday at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Boston.

He said: By reprogramming embryonic stem cells, we can create models that resemble human embryos.

Plaintiff has no imminent prospect of medical use of the artificial embryos. Since it is illegal to implant them in a patient’s stomach, it is not yet clear whether these embryos are capable of continuing to grow beyond the early stages of development.

The inspiration behind this work was for scientists to understand the duration of embryo development, so named because scientists are only allowed to legally grow embryos in the lab for up to 14 days. They then view pregnancy scans and embryos donated for research, remotely filming the evening of development.