This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On June 11, 2020, a groundbreaking study was published in Nature, revealing a major breakthrough in human embryonic development. Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Netherlands-based Hubrecht Institute have successfully created a human embryo 'blueprint' using human stem cells.
The team's model, known as gastruloids, resembles an embryo between 18 and 21 days old, around the time of gastrulation. This process, where three distinct layers of cells are formed, is crucial in the formation of the human body's three main systems: nervous, musculoskeletal, and digestive.
Lead author Alfonso Martinez-Arias explained, "Our model produces part of the blueprint of a human. It's exciting to witness the developmental processes that until now have been hidden from view -- and from study."
The researchers used human stem cells and treated them with chemicals that acted as signals to activate certain genes. This allowed them to observe around 72 hours of the models' development and identify clear signs of the events that lead to the formation of muscles, bone, and cartilage.
Jeremy Green, a professor of developmental biology at King's College London, praised the study, saying it was a "fantastic window" into the early formation of the human body.
