In a major scientific first, synthetic human embryo models have been grown in the lab, without any need for the usual natural ingredients of eggs and sperm.
– has prompted excitement about the potential for new breakthroughs in health, genetics, and treating disease. But the science also raises serious ethical questions.cultured from a traditional embryo in the lab. Stem cells can be programmed to develop into any kind of other cell – which is how they are used in the body for growth and repair.
The work was led by biologist Magdalena Żernicka-Goetz, from the University of Cambridge in the UK, together with colleagues from the UK and US. Last year, a team led by Zernicka-Goetz was able to successfullyWe should point out that we're still a long way from creating babies artificially. These are embryo-like structures, without a heart or a brain: They're more like embryo models that are able to mimic some, but not all, of the features of a normal embryo.
At the same time, there are concerns around where this kind of synthetic embryo creation could lead. Scientists say strong regulations are needed to control this kind of research – regulations that at the moment don't really exist. As pointed out by bioethics researcher Rachel Ankeny from the University of Adelaide, who wasn't involved in the research, today scientists abide by a '14-day rule' which
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