Scientists have discovered a way to stop the development of human embryos in a potential medical breakthrough.
The team found this by reducing They were able to temporarily prevent the implantation of the fertilized embryo into the uterine wall, especially a certain series of biological reactions associated with fetal development, until conditions became optimal.
By slowing the production of a protein associated with fetal growth, they were able to temporarily stop the development of the fertilized embryo in its earliest stages – about a week after conception.
The researchers were able to maintain the embryos in this dormant state for 18 days, after which they reversed the pause period to resume normal development.
The researchers said that this technology could be used to increase the success of artificial insemination by creating a larger time window to evaluate the health of the embryo and improve its chances of implantation in the uterus.
Researchers have shown that reducing the activity of the mTOR signaling pathway puts stem cells and blasts into a dormant, dormant-like state
More than 130 species of mammals – from bears to mice – have the ability to do this The growth of the fetus is temporarily stopped in a process called Fetal latency.
This usually happens during the blastocyst stage – when the fertilized egg rapidly divides into a ball of cells called a blastocyst. This early stage of development begins approximately five or six days after fertilization.
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna have discovered a way to artificially induce a latency-like state in human stem cells and blastocysts, which are laboratory-grown blastocysts.
In both stem and blastula cells, researchers have modified the activity of a specific series of reactions, also known as the molecular cascade.
A molecular cascade is when the movement of one molecule leads to the movement of another molecule, and so on. This starts a cascade of chemical reactions.
It works similarly to a row of falling dominoes, where each domino falling causes the next to fall.
The pathway the researchers targeted is called the mTOR signaling pathway. It regulates cell metabolism, growth, proliferation, and survival, and also plays an important role in fetal growth and development.
Study results could improve the effectiveness of reproductive health treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
When the researchers inhibited the mTOR signaling pathway, the stem and blastema cells entered a dormant, dormant-like state.
The study results show that the ability to enter dormancy is activated in human cells around the blastocyst stage, the researchers wrote in their report.
In addition, they found that they were able to reverse this after a long period, allowing the blasts to resume normal development.
When they boosted the activity of the mTOR pathway, they found that fetal growth accelerated.
They published their study this month in the journal cell.
This research has revealed a new way to control the growth of human pregnancies.
“Although we have lost the ability to naturally enter dormancy, these experiments suggest that we have retained this internal capacity and can unleash it,” said study co-author Nicolas Riveron from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy. “Eventually.” Science in Vienna in a statement.
Learning how to harness this hidden ability within our cells could have major implications for reproductive health treatments such as IVF.
“On the one hand, undergoing faster development is known to increase the success rate of in vitro fertilization, and enhancing mTOR activity can achieve this,” Riveron explained.
“On the other hand, inducing a dormant state during the IVF procedure could provide a larger time window to evaluate the health of the fetus and synchronize it with the mother for better intrauterine implantation,” he added.
It will take more research to refine our ability to control this mechanism and safely induce diapause during IVF, but researchers are optimistic that this work could lead to advances in reproductive health treatments.
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