Scientists at the Wellcome Trust – MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute are part of a team who have succeeded in growing miniature functional models of the lining of the womb (uterus) in culture. These organoids (lab-grown clusters of cells mimicking the womb lining) could provide new insights into the early stages of pregnancy and conditions such as endometriosis, a painful condition that affects as many as two million women in the UK.
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute Principal Investigators Ben Simons and BK Koo along with Affiliate Investigator Myriam Hemberger are authors on the paper, published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Read more: University of Cambridge, Wellcome
Reference:
Turco, MY et al. Long-term, hormone-responsive organoid cultures of human endometrium in a chemically defined medium. Nature Cell Biology; 10 April 2017; DOI: 10.1038/ncb3516