Scientists at the University of Cambridge's Gurdon Institute have grown a laboratory model of a human embryo, which has begun producing blood cells on its own.
The new technology enables the collection of blood stem cells for future bone marrow transplants without the need for a donor. Thus, patients can be treated with their own cells, reducing the risk of rejection and the complexity of the treatment. According to scientists, the resulting model enables a detailed study of the earliest stages of blood and heart development, which is of great importance for drug testing, immune system development, and research into blood diseases, in particular, leukemia.
Scientists are confident that this progress will not only open a new chapter in regenerative medicine but also help us understand how human life begins at the cellular level.
