Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), led by Associate Professor Mo Li and based within the University’s Center of Excellence for Smart Health, have developed a new method to improve how stem cell-derived embryo models are formed and controlled, providing novel insights into the earliest stages of human development.  

These earliest stages of human development are fundamental to reproductive health and disruptions during this window can lead to infertility, early pregnancy loss, or developmental disorders. Despite decades of research, the mechanism that initiates and drives human embryo formation has not been fully understood. 

To study this process, the research team used human stem cell-derived blastoids —laboratory models that replicate key features of early human development— to observe otherwise inaccessible processes in a controlled laboratory setting. Using advanced imaging and molecular analysis, the researchers tracked how the cavity formed as cells reorganized. 

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