What is synthetic embryo?
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Scientists have created hollow spheres of cells that resemble human embryos in their earliest stages of development. The artificial embryos, called “blastoids,” could allow scientists to study early human development, infertility and pregnancy loss without experimenting on actual embryos.
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How are artificial embryos made?

These synthetic embryos were made by mixing induced pluripotent stem cells with a brew of biochemical signals capable of coaxing them into forming spherical structures that include the beginnings of three distinct cell lineages — outer layers representing the future placenta and amniotic sac, and an inner clump

DNA: with the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) developments making new strides each day, scientists have now developed a new scientific marvel that can be considered a major medical marvel – a synthetic embryo without using any sperm or eggs.

In what’s reported as a world-first achievement, biologists have grown mouse embryo models in the lab without the need for fertilised eggs, embryos, or even a mouse – using only stem cells and a special incubator.

This achievement, published in the journal Cell by a team led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, is a very sophisticated model of what happens during early mouse embryo development – in the stage just after implantation.

This is a crucial stage for pregnancy, as, during this stage, a lot of human pregnancies are lost. If the trials for developing a human embryo without using any sperm or eggs, can nullify the need for sperm or egg donors for ARTs and make strides in medical reproductive practices.

Will this be possible for human embryos?

Growing human embryo models of the same complexity that has now been achieved with a mouse model remains a distant proposition, but one we should still consider.

Importantly, we need to be aware of how representative such a model would be; a so-called synthetic embryo in a Petri dish will have its limitations on what it can teach us about human development, and we need to be conscious of that.

Why has it sparked an ethical controversy?

No embryonic modeling can happen without a source of stem cells, so when it comes to thinking about the future use of this technology, it is vital to ask – where are these cells coming from? Are they human embryonic stem cells (derived from a blastocyst), or are they induced pluripotent stem cells?

The latter can be made in the lab from skin, or blood cells, for example, or even derived from frozen samples.

An important consideration is whether using cells for this particular type of research – trying to mimic an embryo in a dish – requires any specific consent.

Even though such embryos have been developed for mice, it has sparked a great debate about what it could mean for human reproduction. The cloning of human embryos has several ethical concerns when it comes to different country laws, but scientists have not made any announcements about reaching for the human trial stage yet.

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