Embryo News and Research

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Penn study has implications for developing new cell-based treatments for skin disease

As the main component of connective tissue in the body, fibroblasts are the most common type of cell. Taking advantage of that ready availability, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Wistar Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, and New Jersey Institute of Technology have discovered a way to repurpose fibroblasts into functional melanocytes, the body's pigment-producing cells.

16 Dec 2014

Experts expose fundamental role of chaos and complexity in biological information processing

The interdisciplinary approach to problems that till recently were addressed in the hermetic framework of distinct disciplines such as physics, informatics, biology or sociology constitutes today one of the most active and innovative areas of science, where fundamental issues meet problems of everyday concern.

14 Dec 2014

Pregnant women lacking vitamin E nearly twice as likely to have miscarriage

Pregnant women in Bangladesh with low levels of the most common form of vitamin E are nearly twice as likely to have a miscarriage than those with adequate levels of the vitamin in their blood, according to new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

3 Dec 2014

Maternal age and successful egg freezing with PGS: an interview with Dr. Santiago Munné

The leading cause of of pregnancy loss or infertility is chromosomal abnormality or imbalance, where extra genetic material is present or some is missing - what’s called aneuploidy. This imbalance leads to the inability to produce viable embryos or pregnancy.

2 Dec 2014

Finding could upend scientific consensus about when embryonic cells begin separating into cell types

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that mouse embryos are contemplating their cellular fates in the earliest stages after fertilization when the embryo has only two to four cells, a discovery that could upend the scientific consensus about when embryonic cells begin differentiating into cell types.

28 Nov 2014

Uterine contractions have positive effect on artificial insemination

The negative impact of contractions during in vitro fertilisation is a well-known fact. What was unknown until now was the effect it had on artificial insemination.

27 Nov 2014

Study underlines critical role of Fragile X mental retardation protein in brain development

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability (ID), as well as the most frequent monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). FXS is caused by the absence or incorrect production of the protein FMRP (Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein).

17 Nov 2014

UCSD researchers describe surprising role of protein in embryonic development

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) give rise to all blood and immune cells throughout the life of vertebrate organisms, from zebrafish to humans. But details of their genesis remain elusive, hindering efforts to develop induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) replacements that might address a host of blood disorders.

7 Nov 2014

Researchers reconstruct early stages of mammalian development using embryonic stem cells

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have managed to reconstruct the early stage of mammalian development using embryonic stem cells, showing that a critical mass of cells – not too few, but not too many – is needed for the cells to being self-organising into the correct structure for an embryo to form.

6 Nov 2014

Researchers develop mouse model that reproduces most typical features of Noonan syndrome

Noonan syndrome is a rare disease that is characterised by a set of pathologies, including heart, facial and skeletal alterations, pulmonary stenosis, short stature, and a greater incidence of haematological problems (mainly juvenile myeloid leukaemia, or childhood leukaemia).

6 Nov 2014

Study: Tbx5 protein contributes to formation of epicardium, pericardium, coronary vessels

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect, affecting 8 out of every 1,000 newborns according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. In the U.S., more than 35,000 babies are born annually with some sort of heart defect.

16 Oct 2014

Researchers discover new kind of stem cell that may hold clues to origins of liver cancer

A Mount Sinai-led research team has discovered a new kind of stem cell that can become either a liver cell or a cell that lines liver blood vessels, according to a study published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports. The existence of such a cell type contradicts current theory on how organs arise from cell layers in the embryo, and may hold clues to origins of, and future treatment for, liver cancer.

15 Oct 2014

Experiments show that 'unsung' cells are crucial to the process of bone loss caused by bone disorder

Experiments in mice with a bone disorder similar to that in women after menopause show that a scientifically overlooked group of cells are likely crucial to the process of bone loss caused by the disorder, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

6 Oct 2014

IRCM researchers discover mechanism that promotes progression of medulloblastoma

Scientists at the IRCM discovered a mechanism that promotes the progression of medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumour found in children. The team, led by Fr-d-ric Charron, PhD, found that a protein known as Sonic Hedgehog induces DNA damage, which causes the cancer to develop.

3 Oct 2014

Unisense FertiliTech's EmbryoViewer software gets FDA approval for IVF practices

World leading time-lapse technology provider within the field of IVF, Unisense FertiliTech A/S, has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its "Compare & Select" feature in the EmbryoViewer software - an accessory to the EmbryoScope time-lapse incubator - which assists IVF professionals in selecting embryos for transfer when treating infertile couples or individuals wishing to become a parent.

24 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: Surgery surprise: Out-of-network doctors' bills; consequences of making Medicaid enrollees pay premiums

The New York Times' Elisabeth Rosenthal offered an important lesson in healthcare economics over the weekend that's a must-read for anyone about to undergo a major medical procedure.

24 Sep 2014

Human stem cells can be reset to their native undifferentiated state

Scientists at the Babraham Institute, in collaboration with colleagues at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute, have made a breakthrough in stem cell research. Their paper, published today in Cell, describes how human stem cells can be reverted back to non-specialised cells.

11 Sep 2014

Nasal septum cells can repair human articular cartilage defects

Human articular cartilage defects can be treated with nasal septum cells. Researchers at the University and the University Hospital of Basel report that cells taken from the nasal septum are able to adapt to the environment of the knee joint and can thus repair articular cartilage defects.

30 Aug 2014

Longer looks: A new kind of abortion war; foster kids and psychotropic drugs

While pro-life activists fight to rescue IVF embryos from the freezer, pregnant women in their third trimester with catastrophic fetal anomalies have nowhere to turn. ... Perhaps there is no other issue that touches on so many core dimensions of American society - legal, medical, scientific, theological, political, philosophical, biological, ethical, and ecological. What some on one side of the debate call reproductive justice, others call taking a life. What some call a person, others call a cluster of cells.

28 Aug 2014

Zebrafish and virus help scientists map the living brain

A virus and a zebrafish are helping scientists map the living brain. "You can kinda draw a diagram and see how cells within it are connected in a functioning brain," said Dr. Albert Pan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

26 Aug 2014