Many simulated micro-gravity(micro-G)experiments on earth suggest that micro-G conditions are not compatible with early mammalian embryo development.Recently,the first two“space embryo”studies have been published sh...Many simulated micro-gravity(micro-G)experiments on earth suggest that micro-G conditions are not compatible with early mammalian embryo development.Recently,the first two“space embryo”studies have been published showing that early mouse embryo development can occur in real microgravity(real micro-G)conditions in orbit.In the first of these studies,published in 2020,Lei and collaborators developed automated mini-incubator(AMI)devices for mouse embryos facilitating cultivation,microscopic observation,and fixation1.Within these AMI apparatuses,3400 non-frozen 2-cell embryos were launched in a recoverable satellite,experiencing sustained microgravity(~0.001G)for 64 h post-orbit before fixation in space and recovery on earth.In a subsequent study,in 2023,Wakayama and colleagues2 devised Embryo Thawing and Culturing(ETC)devices,enabling manual thawing,cultivation,and fixation of frozen 2-cell mouse embryos by a trained astronaut aboard the International Space Station(ISS).Within the ETCs,a total of 7202-cell mouse embryos underwent thawing and cultivation for 4 days on the ISS,subject to either microgravity(n=360)and simulated-1G(n=360)conditions.The primary findings from both space embryo experiments indicate that mouse embryos can progress through embryogenesis from the 2-cell stage to the blastocyst stage under real micro-G conditions with few defects.Collectively,these studies propose the potential for mammalian reproduction under real micro-G conditions,challenging earlier simulated micro-G research suggesting otherwise.展开更多
基金supported by an NIH ECHO grant to DMR,UG3 OD023285.
文摘Many simulated micro-gravity(micro-G)experiments on earth suggest that micro-G conditions are not compatible with early mammalian embryo development.Recently,the first two“space embryo”studies have been published showing that early mouse embryo development can occur in real microgravity(real micro-G)conditions in orbit.In the first of these studies,published in 2020,Lei and collaborators developed automated mini-incubator(AMI)devices for mouse embryos facilitating cultivation,microscopic observation,and fixation1.Within these AMI apparatuses,3400 non-frozen 2-cell embryos were launched in a recoverable satellite,experiencing sustained microgravity(~0.001G)for 64 h post-orbit before fixation in space and recovery on earth.In a subsequent study,in 2023,Wakayama and colleagues2 devised Embryo Thawing and Culturing(ETC)devices,enabling manual thawing,cultivation,and fixation of frozen 2-cell mouse embryos by a trained astronaut aboard the International Space Station(ISS).Within the ETCs,a total of 7202-cell mouse embryos underwent thawing and cultivation for 4 days on the ISS,subject to either microgravity(n=360)and simulated-1G(n=360)conditions.The primary findings from both space embryo experiments indicate that mouse embryos can progress through embryogenesis from the 2-cell stage to the blastocyst stage under real micro-G conditions with few defects.Collectively,these studies propose the potential for mammalian reproduction under real micro-G conditions,challenging earlier simulated micro-G research suggesting otherwise.
