blastocyst
囊胚,胚胎,胚胎囊,胚泡
Definitions
- 1
Embryology.
- : the blastula of the mammalian embryo, consisting of an inner cell mass, a cavity, and an outer layer, the trophoblast.
Examples
A research team based in Australia and Italy described animal experiments in which 1 in 4 vitrified cow eggs were fertilized and later grew, by around day 5, to the blastocyst stage.
Though they didn’t get beyond the blastocyst stage, both models are by far the most complete replicas of an early human embryo to date.
Back in 2018, a team grew similar blastocysts from mouse stem cells—an admirable effort, but not a perfect model as mice and humans have different development trajectories.
Scientists know that during a pregnancy, a fertilized egg develops into a blastocyst around day four, and it then implants around day eight.
For instance, last week, Zernicka-Goetz posted a preprint describing how her lab coaxed stem cells to self-assemble into a version of a human blastocyst, as a week-old embryo is known.