Human Embryos News and Research

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Scientists examine the molecular causes of rare hereditary disease

Scientists in EMBL Barcelona’s Ebisuya group, with collaborators from RIKEN, Kyoto University, and Meijo Hospital in Nagoya, Japan, have studied oscillating patterns of gene expression, coordinated across time and space within a tissue grown in vitro, to explore the molecular causes of a rare human hereditary disease known as spondylocostal dysostosis.

5 Apr 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

Penn researchers track defective sperm epigenome linked to male infertility

One out of eight couples has trouble conceiving, with nearly a quarter of those cases caused by unexplained male infertility. For the past decade, research has linked that infertility to defective sperm that fail to "evict" proteins called histones from DNA during development.

16 Dec 2019

Important discovery about male infertility could lead to new treatments

Using a new mouse model, Penn Medicine researchers have identified defects in the sperm epigenome that cause male infertility.

16 Dec 2019

Experts condemn CRISPR babies research as original manuscript is made public

Scientists have criticized the gene-editing of the Chinese twins last year, following the first public release of the research.

4 Dec 2019

Mystery surrounds gene edited babies one year on

A year back Chinese scientist He Jiankui was in the news for all the wrong reasons. He had helped create the world’s first genetically edited human babies. After a year the world is still in dark about the whereabouts and health of the babies he had created and he himself has been not seen since January this year.

27 Nov 2019

Dynamic molecular signaling waves control embryonic fates

Timing is everything for young cells waiting to determine their identities.

29 Oct 2019

Study links common chemical to rare birth defect in mice

A chemical commonly used in consumer and agricultural products to boost the effectiveness of insecticides has been linked to a rare birth defect in mice.

23 Oct 2019

New CRISPR genome “prime editing” system

Gene editing to correct genetic faults and removing the risk of hereditary diseases may soon become reality. Researchers have come up with a new gene editing technology that could help patients with sickle cell anaemia and up 89 percent of other genetic defects.

22 Oct 2019

Study suggesting that CRISPR babies are likely to die early has been retracted

A research paper that sparked concerns about the lifespan of China's first gene-edited babies has been retracted due to technical errors.

15 Oct 2019

Kazan University researchers study the genetics of nephropathia epidemica

This particular inquiry pertains to CCR5 - a gene which has lately been on the focuses of research worldwide. In particular, CCR5 deletion was used in China to perform the first ever genetic editing on human embryos. It's also known that a CCR5-Δ32 mutation can make people immune to HIV.

10 Oct 2019

Forbidden fruit: Scientists venture into “embryoid” manufacturing

After working on stem cells for several years, scientists have now announced that they have found a way to synthesize structures that look like very primitive human embryos. While some hailed the discovery, others questioned the ethical basis of manufacturing synthetic humans.

12 Sep 2019

'Clock in a dish' provides new way to replicate developmental disorders

In early mammalian development, timing is everything. For healthy development to occur -- whether it be three weeks for a mouse or nine months for a human -- embryos follow the lead of oscillating genes, which turn on and off in precise cycles and trigger different development milestones. Oscillating genes are conductors keeping time in a symphony of growth.

29 Aug 2019

Despite failed promises, stem cell advocates again want taxpayers to pony up billions

Californians voted in 2004 to shell out billions of dollars in taxpayer money to fund cutting-edge stem cell treatments.

16 Aug 2019

Japanese scientists develop new method to construct 3D models from 2D images

Japanese scientists report in Pattern Recognition a new method to construct 3D models from 2D images. The approach, which involves non-rigid registration with a blending of rigid transforms, overcomes several of the limitations in current methods.

6 Aug 2019

Ancient epigenetic change deactivates some genes linked to cancer

An epigenetic change, a form of DNA control, that deactivates some genes linked to cancer late in human development has been conserved for more than 400 million years, new research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research suggests.

11 Jul 2019

New method to grow embryonic stem cells on a microfluidic chip

It's no surprise that using human embryos for biological and medical research comes with many ethical concerns. Correct though it is to proceed with caution in these matters, the fact is that much science would benefit from being able to study human biology more accurately.

29 Jun 2019