BUSINESS INSIDER – A biotechnology company based in Israel wants to replicate a recent experiment that successfully created an artificial mouse embryo from stem cells — only this time with human cells.
Scientists at Weizmann’s Molecular Genetics Department grew “synthetic mouse embryos” in a jar without the use of sperm, eggs, or a womb, according to a paper published in the journal Cell on August 1.
It was the first time the process had been successfully completed, Insider’s Marianne Guenot reported.
The replica embryos could not develop into fully-formed mice and were therefore not “real,” Jacob Hanna, who led the experiment, told the Guardian.
However, scientists observed the synthetic embryos having a beating heart, blood circulation, the start of a brain, a neural tube, and an intestinal tract.
Hanna told MIT Technology Review after the success of the mouse experiment he is working to replicate the results with human cells, including his own.
Other experts say it will take significantly more research before synthetic human embryos are within reach … READ MORE.
