Scientists Create Womb Lining Replica to Study Early Pregnancy
NEW DELHI, Dec 26: Researchers have created a replica of the womb lining, or endometrium, enabling them to study the implantation of human embryos – the process that signals the start of a pregnancy.
described in a paper in the journal Cell, the model allows scientists to study interactions between the womb and embryo, and investigate the causes behind implantation failure – a primary reason for early pregnancy loss, according to researchers from the Babraham Institute in the UK and Stanford University in the US.
“Understanding embryo implantation and embryo progress just after implantation has significant clinical relevance as these stages are particularly prone to failure,” saeid lead researcher Peter Rugg-Gunn, senior group leader at the Babraham Institute.
“In particular,the high rate of implantation failure represents one of the main limiting factors for IVF success,” Rugg-gunn added.
Approximately a week after fertilization, the developing embryo embeds into the womb lining, known as the endometrium. This stage has remained poorly understood due to the challenges of observing the embryo during and after implantation.
The 3D model of the womb lining was constructed in a step-by-step process,combining components of endometrial tissue to replicate the complex physiological properties and cellular composition of the endometrium.
The researchers isolated two essential cell types – epithelial cells and stromal cells – from tissue donated by healthy individuals undergoing endometrial biopsies. Information from these biopsies was used to identify the components that provide the womb lining with its structure.
The model supported post-implantation embryo development, allowing for analysis of embryo stages 12-14 days post-fertilization – a period that has been largely unexplored.
“We were really excited to see that our system released essential factors that are needed to nourish the embryo in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Previous models haven’t been able to achieve this, so this represented a breakthrough for us,” Rugg-Gunn said.
By analyzing cells at the embryo implantation sites, the researchers were able to profile cells at the interface of the embryo and endometrium model, “effectively listening in to the molecular interaction between the tissues.”
The results provide new insights into the complex processes of early pregnancy and offer potential avenues for improving IVF success rates.
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