Skip to main content

US, UK scientists grow embryos in lab to 14 days, setting new mark

scientists grow human embryos in artificial womb 54882059 ml
petervick167/123RF
In what’s considered a landmark study among the scientific community, researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom have reportedly grown human embryos to 14 days old, the longest such record for lab-grown embryos to date.

Though the Petri dish-grown embryos likely could have lived longer than the charted 14 days, the scientists were forced to conclude the experiment because of a decades-old law prohibiting embryo research from lasting longer than two weeks. Despite the abrupt finish, the scientists’ breakthrough could potentially pave the way for womb-free reproduction, as well as an in-depth study of early human development.

For those unaware, the 14-day policy says that no donated IVF (in vitro fertilization) embryo can be lab-grown any longer than 14 days. Once this threshold is reached, the embryos must be destroyed to remain compliant with the international law. What’s significant about 14 days, according to Natureis that this is typically when an embryo’s primitive streak forms, that is, the point at which its biological individuation is guaranteed. Before the primitive streak, it has the ability to split into two separate embryos or fuse together, leading many scientists to reason that the primitive streak is when an embryo can be considered a being.

Closeup of an embryo on day 10 of development
Closeup of an embryo on day 10 of development University of Cambridge

First proposed in 1979 by the Ethics Advisory Board of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the international 14-day policy has been allowed to stand the test of time primarily because scientists were technologically incapable of breaching the 14-day limit. Until these recent experiments, the longest an in-lab embryo had grown stood at just nine days — however, most studies rarely lasted longer than seven days. Though parts of the scientific community have begun clamoring for an extension of the 14-day rule, it’s widely assumed any such move would be met with serious resistance, particularly from religious groups.

Politics (and ethics) aside, the recent breakthrough — published Wednesday in Nature and Nature Cell Biology — could be an absolute boon for the continued study of early human development, namely what occurs during an embryo’s critical first 14 days. During this time, an embryo goes through a significant growth phase that includes implantation into the wall of a woman’s uterus before forming into a collection of cells, which eventually grow into a baby. These 14 days also happen to be when a high number of pregnancy and developmental issues arise, though due to how early in the cycle this growth occurs, it’s incredibly difficult to study accurately.

This is precisely where lab-grown embryos can change the entire landscape of the study of human growth, and the scientists at the U.K.’s Cambridge University and New York’s Rockefeller University are at the forefront of this research. Additionally, expanded research could allow for the discovery of what leads to early-stage miscarriages and could potentially further the research of stem cells and their use in treating diseases.

“We can now, for the first time, study human development at this very critical stage of our lives, at the time of implantation,” said Cambridge lead researcher Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz. “To be able to culture embryos for a couple days longer would provide an enormous body of information, but it’s not for us now to decide whether we should do it or not. Rules are very useful, we would always adhere to them, and they should be set out by the wider community.”

The embryo's molecular signature
The embryo’s molecular signature Brivanlou lab/Nature

What particularly piqued the interest of the researchers was the embryo’s uncanny ability to execute its own development beyond when it would typically implant itself into a woman’s uterus. In other words, with absolutely no maternal input, the embryo self-organized in a completely artificial environment. A development of this nature caused Motherboard — frequent researcher into the realm of womb-free births — to put forth the idea that using an artificial womb to develop a baby to term might not be that far off.

“One day, under the right conditions, this means we might be able to grow a human to the point when it can be ‘born’ in a completely artificial environment,” wrote Motherboard writer Paul Tadich. “It also highlights the futility of the 14-day rule, in a new era where embryos can be grown past that artificial deadline.”

As Manchester University’s clinical embryology professor Daniel Brinson puts it, “this limit was chosen more than 20 years ago … there may be a case in the future to reconsider this.” With as much as there is to gain by the continued research of lab-grown embryos and the possibilities it presents beyond life-bearing, Cambridge and Rockefeller University’s incredible breakthrough will likely extend far beyond the lab in which the experiment was conducted.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Stella
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
Why AI will never rule the world
image depicting AI, with neurons branching out from humanoid head

Call it the Skynet hypothesis, Artificial General Intelligence, or the advent of the Singularity -- for years, AI experts and non-experts alike have fretted (and, for a small group, celebrated) the idea that artificial intelligence may one day become smarter than humans.

According to the theory, advances in AI -- specifically of the machine learning type that's able to take on new information and rewrite its code accordingly -- will eventually catch up with the wetware of the biological brain. In this interpretation of events, every AI advance from Jeopardy-winning IBM machines to the massive AI language model GPT-3 is taking humanity one step closer to an existential threat. We're literally building our soon-to-be-sentient successors.

Read more
The best hurricane trackers for Android and iOS in 2022
Truck caught in gale force winds.

Hurricane season strikes fear into the hearts of those who live in its direct path, as well as distanced loved ones who worry for their safety. If you've ever sat up all night in a state of panic for a family member caught home alone in the middle of a destructive storm, dependent only on intermittent live TV reports for updates, a hurricane tracker app is a must-have tool. There are plenty of hurricane trackers that can help you prepare for these perilous events, monitor their progress while underway, and assist in recovery. We've gathered the best apps for following storms, predicting storm paths, and delivering on-the-ground advice for shelter and emergency services. Most are free to download and are ad-supported. Premium versions remove ads and add additional features.

You may lose power during a storm, so consider purchasing a portable power source,  just in case. We have a few handy suggestions for some of the best portable generators and power stations available. 

Read more
Don’t buy the Meta Quest Pro for gaming. It’s a metaverse headset first
Meta Quest Pro enables 3D modeling in mixed reality.

Last week’s Meta Connect started off promising on the gaming front. Viewers got release dates for Iron Man VR, an upcoming Quest game that was previously a PS VR exclusive, as well as Among Us VR. Meta, which owns Facebook, also announced that it was acquiring three major VR game studios -- Armature Studio, Camouflaj Team, and Twisted Pixel -- although we don’t know what they’re working on just yet.

Unfortunately, that’s where the Meta Connect's gaming section mostly ended. Besides tiny glimpses and a look into fitness, video games were not the show's focus. Instead, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wanted to focus on what seemed to be his company’s real vision of VR's future, which involves a lot of legs and a lot of work with the Quest Pro, a mixed reality headset that'll cost a whopping $1,500.

Read more