Christine and Bernard Thisse, a wife-and-husband team at the University of Virginia, have created what is perhaps the most sophisticated model of the mammalian embryo to date. Their model offers a beating heart, budding muscles, blood vessels, gut, and nervous system, all in a culture dish.
Unlike organoids, which model parts of single organs, the duo coaxed aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells to carry out fundamental processes of development to become embryo-like entities, or embryoids. The embryoids are a step beyond organoids because they incorporate additional components that make organs functional, such as smooth muscles and nerves. According to the researchers, the innovation “promises to be a powerful tool for modeling disease.”
“If we have models that provide much more tissue and interaction between tissues, that’s the way to go because an organ needs to function in relationship with the rest of the body, and especially with vasculature and ...
