“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo have the potential to earn commissions or revenue from certain items linked here.” Scientists have successfully grown a notochord, which serves as a developmental guide for the spine and nervous system in embryos. Prior attempts at creating a notochord from human stem cells failed due to uncertainties about the timing of necessary biological components. With the recent achievement of growing a simple notochord, researchers aim to gain insights into spine-related birth defects and intervertebral discs. The Francis Crick Institute in London has managed to develop human stem cell models containing notochord tissue, a significant advancement in understanding early embryonic development. This breakthrough, detailed in a recent publication in the journal Nature, showcases the crucial role the notochord plays in establishing an embryo’s main axis and guiding spinal and nervous system formation. By studying chicken embryos and other vertebrates, researchers were able to determine the timing and sequence of molecular signals required to create a stem cell model with notochord tissue. While the resulting structure is small, it accurately mimics the arrangement of neural tissues and bone stem cells as seen in human embryos. The functioning notochord in these lab-grown structures provides a valuable tool for investigating developmental conditions and birth defects affecting the spine and spinal cord. Additionally, it offers insights into intervertebral disc formation, which originates from the notochord itself. This development opens up new opportunities for research previously hindered by limitations in creating essential tissues like the notochord.
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