Researchers have grown mini-organs from cells secreted by fetuses in the womb. This is a breakthrough that promises to shed light on human development during late pregnancy.
They created the 3D clumps of tissue known as organoids from lung, kidney and intestinal cells extracted from the amniotic fluid that bathes and protects the fetus in the womb.
It is the first time such organoids have been made from untreated cells in the fluid and paves the way for unprecedented insights into the cause and progression of malformations, which affect 3-6% of babies worldwide.
Dr. Mattia Gerli, a stem cell researcher at UCL, said fetal organoids, which are less than a millimeter wide, would allow scientists to study how fetuses develop in the womb “both in terms of health and disease”, a feat that has so far has not been implemented to date. possible.
Because the organoids can be created months before a baby’s birth, scientists believe they could achieve more personalized interventions by helping doctors diagnose any defects and figure out how best to treat them.
Organoids are small groups of cells that, to a greater or lesser extent, mimic the characteristics and functions of larger tissues and organs. Scientists use them to study how organs grow and age, how diseases develop and whether medicines can reverse any damage.
Most organoids are made from adult tissue, but researchers have recently made them from cells taken from fetuses. The most ethically sensitive ones are made from tissue that has been collected terminated fetuseswhile others are created by reprogramming cells enter a more embryo-like state.
To write NaturopathyGerli and Prof. Paolo de Coppi, a fetal surgeon at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, describe how they analyzed the amniotic fluid of twelve pregnant women as part of their routine diagnostic tests. Most of the cells in the amniotic fluid were dead, but a small portion turned out to be stem cells for the production of the baby’s lungs, kidneys and intestines. The researchers discovered that they could grow these into 3D organoids by injecting them into droplets of gel and growing them.
To explore how the organoids could be used, the team created lung organoids from the cells of unborn babies with a condition called congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH. Babies with CDH have a hole in the diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle under the lungs that powers breathing. The hole allows organs in the abdomen to push up the lungs and hinder their growth.
Comparison of organoids from CDH infants before and after treatment showed substantial differences in their development, indicating a clear benefit of the treatment. “This is the first time that we can make a functional assessment of the innate condition of a child before birth,” said De Coppi.
The same approach could investigate other congenital conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, which causes mucus to build up in the lungs, and malformations in the kidneys and intestines. Drugs that help alleviate congenital conditions could be tested on the organoids before giving them to the babies, De Coppi said.
Roger Sturmey, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Hull, said the research paved the way for scientists to study how major organs formed and functioned in unborn babies without tissue donated for research after an abortion. “It could also reveal the early origins of adult diseases,” he said, “by highlighting what happens when the cells of key tissues in fetuses malfunction.”