Scientists Just Caught Human Embryo Implantation on Camera
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Summary
A team from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in Spain has successfully recorded the real-time, 3D implantation of a human embryo in an artificial womb.
The process, which sees an embryo embedding itself in the uterus, is a major barrier to pregnancy and is responsible for around 60% of miscarriages.
Until now, the process had only been known from still images and ultrasound scans taken several weeks after implantation.
The team used fluorescence microscopy to image the embryo within a collagen gel, which simulates the environment of the uterus, and recorded the embryo forcing its way into the gel.
The study also compared human embryo implantation with that of mice, which extend over the uterus surface, and found both responded differently to external stimuli.
