Created synthetic human embryos from stem cells, therefore without eggs and sperm. It was to announce it Magdalena Zernicka-Goetza scientist at the University of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology, at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Boston.
The goal of the scientist and her team is to have a model, very similar to embryos in the early stages of human development, for the study of genetic diseases and the biological causes of recurrent miscarriages. However, Zernicka-Goetz’s work also raises serious ethical and legal issues.
First synthetic mouse embryo created. With a beating heart
by Simone Valesini
The developed embryos do not have a beating heart or brain, but include cells that would normally form the placenta, the yolk sac and the embryo itself. There is no short-term prospect of synthetic embryos being used in the clinic. It would be illegal to implant them in a patient’s uterus, and it’s not yet clear whether these structures can continue to mature beyond the earliest stages of development.