What can be done to prevent miscarriage and birth defects during the critical first few weeks of pregnancy? Insoo Hyun, renowned bioethicist and philosopher, sits down with Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz from Caltech and the University of Cambridge to discuss her important work that peers into the so-called “black box” of pregnancy.
In human development, the first two weeks are an important time when the embryo implants into the uterus. This is when many pregnancies are lost. Scientists have only been able to study this period of human development in a dish using donated human embryos. Legal restrictions in the UK currently prevent the culture of natural human embryos in the lab beyond day 14 of development. Zernicka-Goetz and her team have created stem cell-derived models of human embryos in the lab. This breakthrough will help scientists uncover the causes of genetic disorders as well as understand why and how pregnancies fail during the mysterious "black box" period of pregnancy.
Driven by her own experiences with pregnancy, Zernicka-Goetz has been laser-focused on the earliest stages of development to better understand why some pregnancies are at risk for birth defects and others fail altogether. While her models mimic aspects of human embryo development, they can’t develop into viable human beings. They may however reduce the need for donated human embryos in research on early human development.This is exciting news for those who struggle with infertility. These human embryo models may help scientists solve the mysteries of failed pregnancies and birth defects.
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz carried out her Ph.D. studies in mammalian development at the University of Warsaw and the University of Oxford, and post-doctoral studies in stem cell biology with Martin Evans at the University of Cambridge. She was awarded a Senior Research Fellowships from the Lister Institute, Sidney Sussex College and the Wellcome Trust to establish her group at the University of Cambridge. She became Professor of Development and Stem Cell Biology in Cambridge in 2010. In 2019 she established her group at Caltech as the Bren Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering.
Insoo Hyun is Director of Research Ethics and a faculty member of the Center for Bioethics and senior lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also Director at the Center for Life Sciences and Public Learning at the Boston Museum of Science. As a Fulbright Scholar and Hastings Center Fellow, Dr. Hyun's interests include ethical and policy issues in stem cell research and new biotechnologies.
0:00 - Introduction
0:42 - The inspiration for Magda Zernicka-Goetz's work
3:24 - Why study the human embryo
4:50 - Discussing pregnancy losses
5:41 - How can we understand the mechanisms of embryonic development?
8:08 - The black box of human development
10:15 - Collaborating with IVF clinics
11:29 - Embryo culture experiments
13:20 - What is the 14 day mark?
14:26 - What was the previous milestone?
15:48 - How do cells keep time?
17:41 - How can human embryo research help people dealing with infertility issues?
19:00 - Where do embryos used for research come from?
20:02 - How long should we be allowed to culture human embryos?
24:33 - What limitations exist in culturing embryos?
26:26 - What are embryo models?
29:46 - Human embryo models
30:51 - How can human embryo models help patients and doctors?
31:29 - Does the 14 day rule apply to embryo models?
33:09 - Do embryo models have to be compared to IVF-derived models?
35:36 - What is the feasibility of artificial platforms for supporting embryo model development?
38:27 - What's next?
40:31 - Conclusions
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