Genes that are thought to play a role in how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects our cells have been found to be active in embryos as early as during the second week of pregnancy, say scientists at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
With our Postgraduate Open Day fast-approaching (3 Nov), we introduce five PhD candidates who are already making waves at Cambridge.
Fish embryo study indicates that the last common ancestor of vertebrates was a complex animal complete with gills – overturning prior scientific understanding and complementing recent fossil finds. ̽»¨Ö±²¥work places gill evolution concurrent with shift to self-propulsion in our earliest ancestors.
A new technique that allows embryos to develop in vitro beyond the implantation stage (when the embryo would normally implant into the womb) has been developed by scientists at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge allowing them to analyse for the first time key stages of human embryo development up to 13 days after fertilisation. ̽»¨Ö±²¥technique could open up new avenues of research aimed at helping improve the chances of success of IVF.
Abnormal cells in the early embryo are not necessarily a sign that a baby will be born with a birth defect such as Down’s syndrome, suggests new research carried out in mice at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge. In a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, scientists show that abnormal cells are eliminated and replaced by healthy cells, repairing – and in some cases completely fixing – the embryo.
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