Embryonic Development News and Research

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Embryonic development or embryogenesis is the process by which the embryo is formed and develops. It starts with the fertilization of the ovum, egg, which, after fertilization, is then called a zygote. The zygote undergoes rapid mitotic divisions, the formation of two exact genetic replicates of the original cell, with no significant growth (a process known as cleavage) and cellular differentiation, leading to development of an embryo.

Researchers create temporal and spatial atlas that plots development of mouse heart

It's not simple, making a heart. In the womb, the organ begins as a tube, sprouts bead-like lumps, folds in on itself and eventually morphs into the more familiar-looking four-chambered structure.

17 Nov 2016

UNC scientists find clue that may help explain why people differ in ability to survive arterial blockages

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found a major clue that may explain why some people sustain relatively little damage from strokes or heart attacks despite severe arterial blockages.

7 Nov 2016

Researchers develop new method to map presence of short RNA-sequences in individual cell

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have measured the absolute numbers of short, non-coding, RNA sequences in individual embryonic stem cells. The new method could improve the understanding of how our genes are regulated and different cell types develop.

1 Nov 2016

Researchers take significant step forward in genetic sex reprogramming research

An international team of researchers, led by the University of Granada, has taken a significant step forward on the research on 'genetic sex reprogramming', which is closer now, although it's still an utopia.

26 Oct 2016

Researchers identify negative role of oxidation in new blood cells

Oxygen in the air is well known to cause damaging rust on cars through a process known as oxidation.

24 Oct 2016

Research on naked mole-rats could pave way for new human pain therapies

In injuries and inflammation, naked mole-rats do not develop normal hypersensitivity to temperature stimuli.

12 Oct 2016

Diamond publishes milestone paper that reveals discovery of genetic triggers behind birth defects

Researchers at the UK's national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, have just published the 5000th scientific paper using data from the facility. This milestone marks a significant step for the synchrotron that is used by over 8,000 scientists each year.

7 Oct 2016

DZNE scientists find new mechanism that allows damaged neurons to regenerate

Injuries to the spinal cord can cause paralysis and other permanent disabilities because severed nerve fibers do not regrow. Now, scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases have succeeded in releasing a molecular brake that prevents the regeneration of nerve connections.

7 Oct 2016

Blocking production of key receptor may reduce effects of cigarette smoke toxicity, study finds

A Duke University-led study shows how exposure to the particulate matter from cigarette smoke may affect early development in zebrafish embryos and increases the risk of neurological disorders and physical deformities.

4 Oct 2016

Scientists develop new method to produce embryos from non-egg cells

Scientists have shown for the first time that embryos can be made from non-egg cells, a discovery that challenges two centuries of received wisdom.

3 Oct 2016

Researchers suggest need for human studies to examine effects of cannabinoid use during pregnancy

In this new era of legalized marijuana, far too little research has been conducted on the effect of cannabis on the development of human embryos, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center who scoured medical literature on the topic and found what they say is worrisome animal research.

30 Sep 2016

University of Pennsylvania receives NSF grant to establish Center for Engineering Mechanobiology

The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Pennsylvania a $24 Million, five-year grant to establish a Science and Technology Center focused on engineering mechanobiology, or the way cells exert and are influenced by the physical forces in their environment.

30 Sep 2016

Cell migration occurs by intermittent bursts of activity, researchers find

Cell migration is a central process in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms.

29 Sep 2016

Researchers use novel technique to unravel key mystery of earliest stage of development

A Ludwig Cancer Research study published online September 14th in Nature reports a novel technique to map specific chemical (or "epigenetic") modifications made to the protein packaging of DNA using a small population of cells.

20 Sep 2016

MIT biologists unravel lncRNA structure-to-function relationships

Several years ago, biologists discovered a new type of genetic material known as long noncoding RNA. This RNA does not code for proteins and is copied from sections of the genome once believed to be "junk DNA."

9 Sep 2016

Study reveals how pluripotency differs among mice, monkeys, and humans

Not too shabby, humans. New research shows that certain primate stem cells have pluripotency superior to some types derived from mice.

26 Aug 2016

Salk researchers develop new method to create unlimited numbers of precursor kidney cells

Salk Institute scientists have discovered the holy grail of endless youthfulness--at least when it comes to one type of human kidney precursor cell.

25 Aug 2016

NIH researchers design new set of assays for initial screening of patients with Fragile X syndrome

Fragile X syndrome, the most common heritable cause of intellectual disability and a frequent cause of autism, is characterized by abnormalities of the FMR1 gene that are difficult to analyze.

12 Aug 2016

Whitehead Institute researchers identify cellular mechanisms involved in pre-mouth array formation

Whitehead Institute researchers have identified the pre-mouth array--an area of the developing face in embryonic frogs--that "unzips" to surround the mouth opening. Their work highlights the precision necessary to create the mouth and identifies the cellular mechanisms that drive its formation.

9 Aug 2016

Scientist receives $1.7 million grant to study how early life toxic exposures predispose to diabetes

Some studies indicate that early life exposure to pollutants such as PCBs and phthalates can predispose people to disease. Now environmental scientist Alicia Timme-Laragy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for a multi-level study of early life exposure to environmental contaminants and aberrant pancreas development, which may predispose one to diabetes.