Do Molecular 3Dmaps unlock new ways of studying human reproduction?
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The molecular cues that determine the formation of the body pattern in the monkey embryo have been found by scientists. This will direct research into human birth abnormalities and pregnancy loss. The work also provides a critical reference for fetal tissue creation in the lab, which is in short supply but required for drug screening and research into stem cell-based treatments to restore body tissues in disorders such as Parkinson's. From a clump of cells, embryos grow into highly ordered structures. The signals driving this metamorphosis, however, have remained concealed from view inside the womb until now. Researchers have created molecular maps of the second week of pregnancy that have never been seen before by measuring gene activity in three dimensions."This work will provide a definitive laboratory reference for future studies of early embryo development and the embryonic origins of disease. One of the most obscure, yet crucial, stages of embryo development is the s