Scientists model early embryonic development using stem cells

USING A 3D MODEL, RESEARCHERS WERE ABLE TO SIMULATE THE MOMENT IN DEVELOPMENT WHEN THE BODY STARTS TO SEPARATE INTO TWO DISTINCT HALVES, HERE, YELLOW AND GREEN CELLS. (LABORATORY OF STEM CELL BIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR EMBRYOLOGY AT THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY)

Researchers have long struggled to observe the earliest stages of development, but a new model may clue us in to what happens soon after an embryo is formed. Using a 3D model of an embryo, researchers were able to replicate some key processes that happen roughly two weeks into a pregnancy. One of these is symmetry breaking, where a previously symmetrical embryo starts to take on more uneven features to become the fetuses — and babies — that we recognize. Using chemicals signals that the uterus releases to induce this stage, researchers recreated symmetry breaking in the stem cell model. Since this happens right after embryos attach to the uterus, having a reliable model could help scientists better study why more than half of all embryos don’t attach, which could lead to pregnancy loss.