An Israeli biotechnology company wants to repeat a previous experiment that
successfully used stem cells to make an artificial mouse embryo, but this
time using human cells.
According to a publication released in the journal Cell on August 1,
researchers at Weizmann's Molecular Genetics Department created "synthetic
mouse embryos" in a jar without the use of sperm, eggs, or a womb. According
to Marianne Guenot of Insider, it was the first time the procedure had been
successfully conducted.
According to Jacob Hanna, the experiment's lead researcher, the replica
embryos were not "genuine" since they could not grow into fully grown mice.
However, researchers saw that the artificial embryos had an intestinal
system, a neural tube, a beating heart, and blood circulation.
Following the success of the mouse experiment, Hanna told MIT Technology
Review that he is attempting to reproduce the findings using human cells,
including his own.
In a statement, Hanna stated that "the embryo is the finest organ-making
machine and the best 3D bioprinter – we attempted to imitate what it does."
According to some scientists, much more study is necessary before artificial
human embryos are feasible.
Hanna launched Renewal Bio in Israel with the goal of using this knowledge
for organ tissue transplants to treat age-related problems including
infertility and genetic illnesses.
For instance, the MIT Technology Review suggested that embryonic blood cells
could be able to support immunocompromised systems.
According to the corporate website, Renewal Bio considers "declining birth
rates and rapidly aging populations" to be among of the world's most
important issues.
According to the company's website, "Renewal Bio seeks to make mankind
younger and healthier by using the potential of the new stem cell technology
to tackle these complicated and compounding difficulties."
The acting CEO of Renewal Bio, Omri Amirav-Drory, told the MIT Technology
Review that while Hanna's experiment was "wonderful," the business did not
want to "overpromise" or terrify people with the possible technology.
According to a 2017 report published in the journal eLife, the use of human
embryo clones for research has regularly sparked ethical questions among the
scientific community, including the possibility that artificial embryos
could feel pain or have awareness.
Hanna suggested to the MIT Technology Review that by developing synthetic
human babies devoid of "lungs, hearts, or brains," he would be able to avoid
these moral dilemmas.
