In a new issue of the US journal Cell, Israeli researchers say they have used mouse stem cells to create a mouse embryonic model with an early brain and beating heart, a process that does not require sperm-egg fusion.
The researchers used mouse stem cells grown in petri dishes for many years to create a mouse early embryo model without sperm, eggs and uterus, according to a statement issued by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The embryonic model survived for 8.5 days, nearly halfway through the mouse's 20-day gestation period, by which time many organs had developed their early appearances, including a beating heart, a well-folded brain, neural tubes and intestines.
According to the statement, compared with natural mouse embryos, this embryo model has 95% similarity in internal structure, shape and cell gene expression pattern, and various organs in the embryo model have relevant signs, indicating that they are functional.
Research leader Jacob Hanna, a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, said that in the future, it is expected to further develop artificial human embryo-like structures based on this research, thereby providing tissues, organs, etc. that can be used for transplantation.