Successful creation of the world's first artificial embryo

British scientists successfully built the world's first artificial embryo in the laboratory using stem cells.

Scientists at Cambridge University, England, successfully built the world 's first artificial embryo by using two types of stem cells and a 3D framework for developing embryos, according to Nature World News. The research results are published in the journal Science on March 2.

The team used transgenic mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) , which function to form the body, and embryonic stem cells (TSC) that form the placenta, to successfully develop a structure. Auto-assembly structure and ability to communicate with each other, almost like a natural embryo.

Artificial embryos are created using two types of stem cells.(Photo: Cambridge University).

"It has anatomically-like embryo-like regions developed at the right place and at the right time , " said Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, the study's lead author.

This artificial embryo develops according to the natural embryo model, ECS on one side and TCS on the other side before they merge. Zernicka-Goetz emphasizes the importance of communicating between two types of embryonic and non-embryonic cells, which are capable of "talking to each other".

"The highlight of our study is to make stem cells really cooperate and affect each other to form embryos," Zernicka-Goetz said.

Zernicka-Goetz said that this cooperation is important because without it, the cell will not develop into the correct shape and biological mechanisms cannot happen at the right time. A third type of stem cell, which functions as a yolk sac, will be added in the future to create artificial embryos with full functionality.

"The development of artificial embryos helps us study important events in early human development without actually working on real human embryos," Zernicka-Goetz said.