This Chinese 'mini-womb' can help unlock secrets of pregnancy
What's the story
A team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully created the world's first "mini-womb" on a microfluidic chip. The 3D model mimics the "invasion" of human embryos into the uterus during early pregnancy. This groundbreaking research could help unlock secrets behind human embryo implantation and pave way for personalized treatments for women facing difficulties in conceiving.
Research challenges
Ethical constraints and limited access to human embryos
The team emphasized that understanding human implantation is "crucial," but ethical constraints and limited access to human embryos have made it difficult. To overcome these challenges, they created a 3D in-chip implantation model using human blastoids or blastocysts. These were co-cultured with bioengineered human endometrial tissue, called endometrioid. The system successfully replicated key events of human implantation and early post-implantation development.
Mechanism
Understanding blastocysts and their role in embryo development
Blastocysts are five to six-day-old embryos made up of 100-200 rapidly dividing cells. They include an outer cell mass that implants into the uterus to develop into the placenta, and also an inner cell mass that eventually becomes the baby. The mini-womb on a chip is a major step forward in understanding how these early-stage embryos implant and develop within the human body.