ABOVE: Artist’s concept of the process of manufacturing blastocyst-like structures from cultured cells. The process starts with one cell type, progresses into a two-compartment structure, and finishes with the generation of a blastocyst-like structure displaying the first three lineages that appear during mammalian embryogenesis: epiblast in yellow, primitive endoderm in pink, and trophectoderm in blue. The shower depicts the growth factors and chemicals applied to the cells during the manufacturing process.
YANG YU
Asingle type of mouse stem cell can generate a structure in culture capable of self-organizing to generate both embryonic cells and those that are the precursor to the placenta, according to a study published today (October 17) in Cell. The work paves the way for a greater understanding of mammalian development and of things that can go wrong in very early pregnancy.
The authors have generated structures that have some of the properties of a blastocyst—though clearly not ...
