"Without eggs and sperm". Creating models of human embryos from stem cells
A team of researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom say they have created the world's first artificial human embryo-like structures from stem cells, bypassing the need for eggs and sperm, according to CNN.
And the network explained in a report, Wednesday, that these embryo-like structures are still in the very early stages of human development, and for example they do not have a beating heart or brain. But scientists say they may one day help advance understanding of genetic diseases or the causes of miscarriage.
According to the network, the research raises important legal and ethical questions, and many countries, including the United States, do not have laws regulating the creation or processing of artificial embryos.
The researchers hope, according to the network, that these model embryos will shed light on the "black box" of human development, in the period following 14 days after fertilization, which is the limit agreed upon by scientists for the growth of embryos and their study in the laboratory.
The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday that there is no near-term prospect of using artificial embryos clinically. It would be illegal to implant them in a patient's uterus, especially since it is not yet clear whether these structures have the potential to survive beyond the early stages of development.
And the newspaper pointed out that research conducted on animals using stem cells from mice and monkeys showed that even when scientists tried to transplant them, they did not survive, perhaps because the researchers did not fully figure out how to do this.
She noted that this development highlights how quickly science is gaining traction in this area, and scientists in the UK and elsewhere are already moving to set guidelines to control work on artificial embryos.
Source: websites