Embryo News and Research

RSS

UQ researchers reverse reproductive aging process in mice

Researchers have lifted fertility rates in older female mice with small doses of a metabolic compound that reverses the aging process in eggs, offering hope for some women struggling to conceive.

12 Feb 2020

Macrophages migrate from the blood to attack brain tissue shortly after stroke

Macrophages are part of the innate immune system and essential for brain development and function. Using a novel method, scientists from Jena University Hospital, the University of Bonn and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York (USA) succeeded in visualizing macrophages that were formed in the bone marrow.

11 Feb 2020

Pioneering project on genomic edition through CRISPR/Cas9 to study early embryonic development

Characterization studies of early embryonic development are limited, mainly due to the lack of samples and the obvious legal and ethical limitations.

11 Feb 2020

Study explores how some mammals postpone development of their embryos

How do some mammals postpone the development of their embryos to await better conditions for having offspring? A recent study at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine explored this reproductive enigma, which can occur in more than 130 species of mammals as well as in some marsupials.

10 Feb 2020

Growing eggs and sperm to treat infertility

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, have reported, in the journal Cell Reports, the mechanism of how the very early precursor or stem cells which eventually give rise to the germ cells, eggs and sperm, are formed over the course of development. This could help create eggs and sperms under laboratory conditions to help infertile people who don’t have sperms, or eggs, for instance.

9 Feb 2020

Study provides new insight into the regenerative capacity of mammalian embryos

A calf was born from an embryo lacking cells which form a large part of the placenta, providing new insight into the regenerative capacity of mammalian embryos.

9 Feb 2020

Longer commute time associated with greater exposure to carcinogens in car seats

The longer your commute, the more you're exposed to a chemical flame retardant that is a known carcinogen and was phased out of furniture use because it required a Proposition 65 warning label in California.

7 Feb 2020

Making it all work: brain-dependent immune activation in embryos

How does the immune system develop its functionality? This has been an ongoing area of research for biologists. Now, a new study published in the journal NPJ Regenerative Medicine in February 2020 shows that in very early fetal life the brain must signal directions to the developing immune system to help it defend the body from infectious agents. This signaling markedly improves the capability of the embryo to survive when faced with bacterial infection.

4 Feb 2020

Regenerative biology could be used to restore mucus production, shows study

Mucus is a protective, slimy secretion produced by goblet cells and which lines organs of the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. Slime production is essential to health, and an imbalance can be life-threatening.

31 Jan 2020

A new study reveals the secrets of mucus production that could be applied to cancer biology

The cells that produce mucus are known to be involved in serious health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even cancer.

31 Jan 2020

Inducing totipotency into stem cells opens new doors for potential cell replacement therapies

Early mammalian development is a highly complex process involving elaborate and highly coordinated biological processes.

29 Jan 2020

First in vitro system can help study early spine development in humans

More than 20 years ago, the lab of developmental biologist Olivier Pourquié discovered a sort of cellular clock in chicken embryos where each "tick" stimulates the formation of a structure called a somite that ultimately becomes a vertebra.

9 Jan 2020

Diabetes drug could be repurposed as new treatment to prevent miscarriage

A drug designed to tackle diabetes could also be repurposed as the first treatment to prevent miscarriage by targeting the lining of the womb itself, according to a clinical trial led by the University of Warwick.

9 Jan 2020

Research adds definitive evidence about how the body's earliest immune cells are formed

One day the advance could lead to a patient's own skin cells being used to produce new cells for cancer immunotherapy or to test autoimmune disease interventions.

8 Jan 2020

Novel computer algorithm identifies promising new treatment for neuroblastoma

Using a computer algorithm, scientists at Uppsala University have identified a promising new treatment for neuroblastoma.

7 Jan 2020

Advancement in reconstitution of the blood system from human pluripotent stem cells

The reconstitution of the blood system in humans holds great therapeutic potential to treat many disorders, like blood cancers, sickle-cell anemia and others.

31 Dec 2019

Study opens up new treatment possibilities for Wilms' tumor

As an embryo develops, its cells must learn what to do with the thousands of genes they've been equipped with. That's why each cell comes with a detailed gene-expression manual outlining exactly which genes should be switched on, to what extent, and when.

18 Dec 2019

A new function identified for glycine receptors during embryonic development

Glycine receptors are one of the most widely distributed inhibitory receptors in the central nervous system and have important roles in a variety of physiological processes.