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.

Scientists discover molecular pathway to regenerate damaged kidney tissues

Scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that works through the immune system to regenerate damaged kidney tissues and may lead to new therapies for repairing injury in a number of organs.

16 Feb 2010

Study: Common underlying mechanism causes complex defects in brain development and function

A new study reveals that a common underlying mechanism is shared by a group of previously unrelated disorders which all cause complex defects in brain development and function. Rett syndrome (RTT), Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) and Alpha-Thalassemia mental Retardation, X-linked syndrome (ATR-X) have each been linked with distinct abnormalities in chromatin, the spools of proteins and DNA that make up chromosomes and control how genetic information is read in a cell.

16 Feb 2010

Transition through hemogenic endothelial intermediate necessary for hematopoietic stem cell formation

Biologists at UC San Diego have identified the specific region in vertebrates where adult blood stem cells arise during embryonic development.

14 Feb 2010

Mapping of human genome modification during embryonic development

Scientists at The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) led an international effort to build a map that shows in detail how the human genome is modified during embryonic development.

4 Feb 2010

Research suggests growth factor gene plays a central role in palate development

Cleft palate has been linked to dozens of genes. During their investigation of one of these genes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis were surprised to find that cleft palate occurs both when the gene is more active and when it is less active than normal.

3 Feb 2010

Study could lead to better understanding of how certain birth defects occur in humans

Scientists have identified a gene family that plays a key role in one of the earliest stages of development in which an embryo distinguishes its left side from the right and determines how organs should be positioned within the body. The finding in mice likely will lead to a better understanding of how certain birth defects occur in humans.

27 Jan 2010

Facial and brain anomalies in holoprosencephaly related chromosome aberrations characterized

Researchers at Signature Genomic Laboratories, which performs diagnostic genetic testing of chromosome abnormalities in individuals with unexplained physical and developmental disabilities, recently characterized a broad spectrum of facial and brain anomalies in individuals with chromosome aberrations associated with holoprosencephaly.

27 Jan 2010

ACS Chemical Biology report supports zebrafish for drug development

By combining the tools of medicinal chemistry and zebrafish biology, a team of Vanderbilt investigators has identified compounds that may offer therapeutic leads for bone-related diseases and cancer.

22 Jan 2010

Study shows lack of protease-activated receptors may cause neural tube defects

New research, published by Cell Press in the January 19th issue of the journal Developmental Cell, provides intriguing insight into how the nervous system forms during very early embryonic development.

20 Jan 2010

Influence of key transcription factor is less widespread than thought and varies over time

For decades, science texts have told a simple and straightforward story about a particular protein-a transcription factor-that helps the embryo of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, pattern tissues in a manner that depends on the levels of this factor within individual cells.

18 Dec 2009

Genetic variations in Sonic Hedgehog pathway associated with response to standard immunotherapy

Genetic variations in the Sonic Hedgehog pathway increase the likelihood of recurrence, reduce survival time and limit response to therapy for people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference.

10 Dec 2009

German Research Foundation approves 9.4 million euros funding for University of Freiburg

The authorization committee of the German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved funding for a collaborative research center proposed by the University of Freiburg on the topic „Control of Cell Motility in Morphogenesis, Tumor Invasion, and Metastatic Spread" starting on 1 January 2010. The Freiburg SFB 850 will receive a total of 9.4 million euros in the next four years plus a 20 percent program allowance for indirect costs. In the case of success, the SFB 850 is eligible to receive funding for up to 12 years.

20 Nov 2009

Researchers identify a molecular mechanism that contributes to colorectal tumors

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have identified a molecular mechanism that allows two powerful signaling pathways to interact and begin a process leading to colorectal tumors.

16 Nov 2009

Understanding how regulatory networks drive development

Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according to a developmental plan, by expressing, i.e. turning on, different combinations of genes.

6 Nov 2009

CIRM awards Salk Institute $10.8M grant to develop stem-cell based therapy for Lou Gehrig's Disease

The Salk Institute has been awarded a $10.8 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem-cell based therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

29 Oct 2009

Total number of vertebrae: Hox genes have a say

Vertebrates have in common a skeleton made of segments, the vertebrae. During development of the embryo, each segment is added in a time dependent manner, from the head-end to the tail-end: the first segments to be added become the vertebrae of the neck, later segments become the vertebrae with ribs and the last ones the vertebra located in the tail (in the case of a mouse, for example). In this process, it is crucial that, on the one hand, each segment, as it matures, becomes the correct type of vertebra and, on the other, that the number of vertebrae in the skeleton, and therefore the size of the spine, are minutely controlled.

28 Oct 2009

Novel protein responsible for changing DNA structure and silencing the expression of genes identified

A study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) by a team of scientists headed by Professors Hélène Bierne and Pascale Cossart from the Pasteur Institute, in collaboration with colleagues form the CNRS and the French Agricultural Research Institute (INRA), identified a novel protein, BAHD1, which is responsible for changing DNA structure and silencing the expression of genes.

26 Oct 2009

Scientists identify the first genetic mechanism that generates the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral cortex-the outermost layer of neurons commonly referred to as gray matter-are created equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific cortical regions. But how the stem cells' destiny is determined has remained an open question.

14 Oct 2009

Researchers succeed in engineering human tissue patches from stem cells

University of Washington (UW) researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts.

8 Oct 2009

Researchers identify embryonic origin of Merkel cells

Publication in Journal of Cell Biology : researchers from ULB (IRIBHM) identify the embryonic origin of Merkel cells. Their research continue on an extremely aggressive cancer, the Merkel cell carcinoma

30 Sep 2009