2 May 2018

Forming model embryos from stem cells in the lab

Back to news

Scientists from two research groups of the Hubrecht Institute (KNAW), together with the MERLN Institute, have successfully created in the laboratory embryo-like structures from mouse stem cells. These model embryos resemble natural ones to the extent that, for the first time, they implant into the uterus and initiate pregnancy. This radically new method opens the door to understanding the first and hidden processes of life, problems of infertility, or the embryonic origin of diseases. This scientific breakthrough has been published in Nature.