Israeli Scientists Announce Creation of Embryo Model in Lab
2023-09-12
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1Israeli scientists say they have created a model of a human embryo from stem cells in a laboratory.
2The embryo model - created without using sperm, eggs or a uterus - is designed to support research on early human development.
3Only stem cells were used in the process. Stem cells are simple cells in the body that can develop into one of many specialized cells.
4Researchers say the embryo models cannot grow into babies.
5But they are complete enough to provide information about what happens in the embryo during a pregnancy.
6The use of embryo models permits scientists to carry out research without the ethical concerns linked to experiments using real embryos.
7Several international research teams have been working separately on studies involving human embryo models.
8Scientists from the United States, Britain and China published their research results on the subject in recent months.
9The Israeli researchers say their embryo model looks similar to a real human embryo at day 14.
10At this point, the embryo model has begun building inner structures.
11But it has not yet developed enough to start forming body organs, the team said.
12The scientists recently reported their results in a study in the publication Nature.
13They also shared their research with scientists during a June meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Boston, Massachusetts.
14The Israeli team noted that their current research is still a long way from being able to create a full embryo in the lab.
15Jacob Hanna was the team leader on the research.
16He told the Reuters news agency, "The question is, when does an embryo model become considered an embryo? When that happens, we know the regulations. At the moment we are really, really far off from that point."
17But the researchers said the work could open the door to new ways to study early human development.
18For example, the embryo models could test the effect of drugs on pregnancies.
19They could also help scientists better understand miscarriages and genetic diseases.
20And they might one day be used to grow transplant tissues and organs.
21Hanna noted that the models are not exactly like human embryos.
22"There are differences from human embryos, but still, this is the first time, if you open an atlas or a textbook, you can say - yeah I can really see the similarity between them," he said.
23Hanna said his team took stem cells produced from adult human skin cells, as well as others, and let them develop in the lab.
24The researchers then reverted the cells to an early state, with the possibility that they could develop into different kinds of cells.
25The team then genetically changed the cells in an effort to get them to start developing into something that looks and behaves like a real human embryo.
26However, the researchers said their creation is not an actual or synthetic embryo.
27Instead, it is considered a model that shows how a real embryo works.
28Hanna said the process was able to start effective structure development.
29But he added that "the farthest we could get is day 14 in human embryo development."
30Hanna said the team's next goal will be to extend model development to 21 days and also reach a success rate of at least 50 percent.
31I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Israeli scientists say they have created a model of a human embryo from stem cells in a laboratory. 2The embryo model - created without using sperm, eggs or a uterus - is designed to support research on early human development. 3Only stem cells were used in the process. Stem cells are simple cells in the body that can develop into one of many specialized cells. Researchers say the embryo models cannot grow into babies. But they are complete enough to provide information about what happens in the embryo during a pregnancy. 4The use of embryo models permits scientists to carry out research without the ethical concerns linked to experiments using real embryos. 5Several international research teams have been working separately on studies involving human embryo models. Scientists from the United States, Britain and China published their research results on the subject in recent months. 6The Israeli researchers say their embryo model looks similar to a real human embryo at day 14. At this point, the embryo model has begun building inner structures. But it has not yet developed enough to start forming body organs, the team said. 7The scientists recently reported their results in a study in the publication Nature. They also shared their research with scientists during a June meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Boston, Massachusetts. 8The Israeli team noted that their current research is still a long way from being able to create a full embryo in the lab. 9Jacob Hanna was the team leader on the research. He told the Reuters news agency, "The question is, when does an embryo model become considered an embryo? When that happens, we know the regulations. At the moment we are really, really far off from that point." 10But the researchers said the work could open the door to new ways to study early human development. For example, the embryo models could test the effect of drugs on pregnancies. They could also help scientists better understand miscarriages and genetic diseases. And they might one day be used to grow transplant tissues and organs. 11Hanna noted that the models are not exactly like human embryos. "There are differences from human embryos, but still, this is the first time, if you open an atlas or a textbook, you can say - yeah I can really see the similarity between them," he said. 12Hanna said his team took stem cells produced from adult human skin cells, as well as others, and let them develop in the lab. The researchers then reverted the cells to an early state, with the possibility that they could develop into different kinds of cells. 13The team then genetically changed the cells in an effort to get them to start developing into something that looks and behaves like a real human embryo. However, the researchers said their creation is not an actual or synthetic embryo. Instead, it is considered a model that shows how a real embryo works. 14Hanna said the process was able to start effective structure development. But he added that "the farthest we could get is day 14 in human embryo development." 15Hanna said the team's next goal will be to extend model development to 21 days and also reach a success rate of at least 50 percent. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 18______________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20uterus - n. (medical) a term for the organ in a woman that holds the baby during pregnancy; womb 21ethical - adj. relating to what is right or wrong 22regulation - n. an official rule that controls how something is done 23miscarriage - n. a situation in which a baby is born too early and dies because it has not developed enough to survive 24transplant - v. to perform a medical operation in which an organ or other part that has been removed from the body of one person is put into the body of another person 25atlas - n. a book of maps 26revert - v. to go back to the way something was before 27synthetic - adj. a group of products made from artificial substances, often copying a natural product