Lab-grown Stem Cells Able To Model Earliest Stage of Human Development

Introduction

Currently, we know little of the process of cardiac and hepatic vascularization (the process of building new blood vessels in the heart and liver) due to the ethical issues of obtaining human embryos for study and testing. Researchers worked with human pluripotent cells in order to model an embryo.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are cells that differentiate into various different cell types, such as neurons, liver cells, and red blood cells. Because of this characteristic, it is effective when building organoids. With its ability to become any type of cell and capacity to self-organize into complex structures, these stem cells can mimic organs.

Researchers had three goals in mind.

1. Make organoids while avoiding necrosis

2. Achieve larger organoid growth for improvement in modeling diseases and discovering new drugs

3. Increase viability of using transplanted organoids as regenerative therapy

   
   

If organoids (mini organs) can accurately mimic real-life, human organs, researchers can test how organs react to diseases, how organs react to various medicines, and dive into possibly creating life-sized organs for transplants.

Using model organisms can also provide key insights into the early stages of organ vascularization, since we know very little of it in humans. hPSCs have model aspects of development:

• Primitive streak (the initial organizing center when the embryo turns into a layer of cells)

• Germ layer formation (cluster of cells that organizes into three layers - one that develops into nervous system, one into heart and other tissues, and the last into the lining of inner organs)

Conclusion

Researchers have successfully developed an in vitro (outside body) model that mimics the early developmental stages of cardiac and hepatic (liver) organoid development. In depth analysis found that the organoid was structurally and functionally similar to a 6.5-preconception (or pre-birth) week human embryonic heart. As technology continues to advance, researchers hope to expand to creating whole organs that can be used for transplants.