VOA健康报道2023--Israeli Scientists Announce Creation of Embryo Model in Lab

Israeli Scientists Announce Creation of Embryo¹ Model in Lab

Israeli scientists say they have created a model of a human embryo from stem cells in a laboratory.

The embryo model – created without using sperm², eggs or a uterus – is designed to support research on early human development.

Only stem cells were used in the process. Stem cells are simple cells in the body that can develop into one of many specialized³ cells. Researchers say the embryo models cannot grow into babies. But they are complete enough to provide information about what happens in the embryo during a pregnancy⁴.

The use of embryo models permits scientists to carry out research without the ethical⁵ concerns linked to experiments using real embryos⁶.

Several international research teams have been working separately on studies involving human embryo models. Scientists from the United States, Britain and China published their research results on the subject in recent months.

The Israeli researchers say their embryo model looks similar to a real human embryo at day 14. At this point, the embryo model has begun building inner structures. But it has not yet developed enough to start forming body organs, the team said.

The scientists recently reported their results in a study in the publication Nature. They also shared their research with scientists during a June meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Israeli team noted⁷ that their current research is still a long way from being able to create a full embryo in the lab.

Jacob Hanna was the team leader on the research. He told the Reuters news agency, "The question is, when does an embryo model become considered an embryo? When that happens, we know the regulations. At the moment we are really, really far off from that point."

But the researchers said the work could open the door to new ways to study early human development. For example, the embryo models could test the effect of drugs on pregnancies⁸. They could also help scientists better understand miscarriages¹⁰ and genetic¹¹ diseases. And they might one day be used to grow transplant tissues and organs.

Hanna noted that the models are not exactly like human embryos. "There are differences from human embryos, but still, this is the first time, if you open an atlas¹² or a textbook, you can say - yeah I can really see the similarity between them," he said.

Hanna said his team took stem cells produced from adult human skin cells, as well as others, and let them develop in the lab. The researchers then reverted¹⁴ the cells to an early state, with the possibility that they could develop into different kinds of cells.

The team then genetically¹⁵ changed the cells in an effort to get them to start developing into something that looks and behaves like a real human embryo. However, the researchers said their creation is not an actual or synthetic¹⁶ embryo. Instead, it is considered a model that shows how a real embryo works.

Hanna said the process was able to start effective structure development. But he added that "the farthest we could get is day 14 in human embryo development."

Hanna said the team's next goal will be to extend model development to 21 days and also reach a success rate of at least 50 percent.

Words in This Story

uterus – n. (medical) a term for the organ in a woman that holds the baby during pregnancy; womb

ethical – adj. relating to what is right or wrong

regulation – n. an official rule that controls how something is done

miscarriage⁹ – n. a situation in which a baby is born too early and dies because it has not developed enough to survive

transplant – v. to perform a medical operation in which an organ or other part that has been removed from the body of one person is put into the body of another person

atlas – n. a book of maps

revert¹³ – v. to go back to the way something was before

 

synthetic – adj. a group of products made from artificial substances, often copying a natural product

1 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

2 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

3 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

4 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

5 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

6 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

9 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

10 miscarriages   

流产( miscarriage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Miscarriages are usually caused by abnormal chromosome patterns in the fetus. 流产通常是因为胎儿的染色体异常造成的。
• Criminals go unpunishedareconvicted and are miscarriages of justice. 罪犯会逍遥法外，法律会伤及无辜，审判不公时有发生。

11 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

12 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

13 revert   

v.恢复，复归，回到

参考例句：

• Let us revert to the earlier part of the chapter.让我们回到本章的前面部分。
• Shall we revert to the matter we talked about yesterday?我们接着昨天谈过的问题谈，好吗？

14 reverted   

恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还

参考例句：

• After the settlers left, the area reverted to desert. 早期移民离开之后，这个地区又变成了一片沙漠。
• After his death the house reverted to its original owner. 他死后房子归还给了原先的主人。

15 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

16 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。