Comprehensive coverage

the fetus

Mouse, rabbit and human embryos (right to left) in the same developmental stage - gastrulation (days 8-7.5 of pregnancy in rabbits and mice and around day 18 of development in humans). At this stage the human, rabbit and other vertebrate embryos are almost flat disc-shaped, while the mouse embryo is elongated cylinder-shaped. The images of the mouse and rabbit embryos were created as part of the current study, the image of the human embryo is taken from a study published in 2021 (Richard CV Tyser et al. Single-cell transcriptomic characterization of a gastrulating human embryo. Nature 600: 285-289)

In the rabbit hole

The institute's scientists developed a method that allows real-time monitoring of the development of embryos at the beginning of their journey and applied it for the first time to rabbits. The comparison they made between embryonic development in rabbits and mice gave rise to answers to fascinating questions about the formation of humans
The cover of the magazine ADVANCED SCIENCE and on it a study by Ben Gurion University on increasing the chances of rooting of an in vitro embryo. PR photo

Fetal siblings contribute to predicting the success of IVF

  • No comments
Researchers from Ben Gurion University have developed an artificial intelligence model that predicts the embryo's chances of rooting, based on information from fetal siblings from the same treatment cycle
summer pregnancy Illustration: depositphotos.com

Pioneering research: exposure to the sun - increases fertility

Exposure to the sun's UV radiation may have a positive effect on the fertility of women aged 30-40
Fertilization process illustration: depositphotos.com

Eggs from men and sperm cells from women: How stem cells may change the way we reproduce

  • No comments
In theory, a male skin cell can be turned into an egg and a female skin cell into a sperm cell. There is also the possibility of a child genetically connected to several parents, or only to one parent
Advanced pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New molecular discoveries on the topic of preeclampsia - in a joint study by scientists from two faculties at the Technion

  • No comments
Preeclampsia is a life-threatening multisystem disease and one of the main causes of maternal and fetal mortality. Its global prevalence is about 5% of pregnancies
An artificial model of a human embryo in a developmental stage corresponding to day 12. The upper elliptical structure is the part that will become an embryo including the amniotic sac above it; The lower structure is the yolk sac. The interface between the two structures is an essential element for embryonic development in humans. Both parts are surrounded by a layer of cells which will become the placenta

A human embryo without the need for a sperm egg or uterus

  • 6 תגובות
A pregnancy test detected the fetus in the test tube. The artificial models developed from stem cells - without egg, sperm or uterus - and grew in the laboratory until day 14
Prof. Omri Koren. Photo: Bar Ilan University Spokesperson

Antibiotics in pregnancy affect the behavior of the fetus

Prof. Omri Koren from the Faculty of Medicine won an ERC grant for his research dealing with the development of a post-biotic supplement to protect mothers and newborns
Fetal Development. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Accelerated development of neurons even in the embryonic stage can be the one that affects the development of autism

  • 7 תגובות
After the accelerated development, a rapid deterioration of the neurons was noted, which was manifested, among other things, in low connectivity. The study found the recurrence of the phenomenon in children with autism originating from four different types of genetic mutations
Mice. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Mice with two fathers: Scientists create eggs from male cells

  • 2 תגובות
The researchers behind the new study were able to create baby mice with genetic material from two males without any genetic changes. They achieved this by using stem cells to create primordial germ cells (PGCs), which differentiate into sperm and egg.
pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

No change was found in the rate of spontaneous abortions in Israel during the period of the Corona epidemic

  • No comments
This is according to a joint study by the Technion and the University of Haifa. In the study, data was collected from 252,858 United Health Insurance policyholders between the ages of 15 and 44, for the period between January 2017 and April 2021
pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The model that will warn in advance about a pregnancy at risk

A new company, established at the Enbox Center for Entrepreneurship at Bar-Ilan University, has developed a technology for predicting pregnancy complications at the very beginning, by characterizing the microbiome (bacteria) population
Kidney cells expressing the isomo protein and in addition a fluorescent protein in the cell nucleus (in purple), adjacent to an egg expressing a fluorescent protein in the cell membrane (green) and staining the genetic material in blue.

Connection exercise - how is an embryo created?

  • One response
Researchers from the Technion in collaboration with the University of Tokyo reveal a new role for the IZUMO1 protein in the fusion process between sperm and egg
Sperm cells in the race to fertilize the egg in the uterus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New study: 50% decrease in men's sperm count in the last 50 years all over the world

  • 2 תגובות
In the most comprehensive study conducted on the subject, it was found that sperm quality deteriorates over the years in men all over the world, including in Africa, Latin America and Asia, and that the rate of decline even increases in the 21st century * "This study is a wake-up call for researchers, policy makers, health authorities and the public throughout the world and in Israel, which requires consideration and taking actions to correct the existing situation"
Stem cells. Image: depositphotos.com

The very first program to create an embryo by creating artificial embryonic and placental stem cells

By creating artificial embryonic and placental stem cells and comparing them, the researchers from the Hebrew University identified about 14,000 sites in the genome that control the development of all the organs of the fetus
A diagram showing the innovative approach developed in Prof. Yaakov Hana's laboratory to create an artificial model of mouse embryos from stem cells - without egg, sperm or uterus

No egg, no sperm and no uterus: Weizmann Institute of Science scientists created an artificial model of mouse embryos

  • One response
The embryo model developed from stem cells that were grown outside the womb to a relatively advanced stage, showing normal development of organs and tissues
In the illustration by Prof. Luca Jovine from the Karolinska Institute, the structure of Fsx1 (right) deciphered by the researchers appears. The structure belongs to an archaeon that originated in a water environment with high salinity (represented by salt on the left)

Hypothesis: The mechanism that enables sexual reproduction was created about a billion years before its actual appearance

  • No comments
The Technion researchers and their colleagues abroad: It is possible that the cellular mechanisms that enable the fusion of the sperm and the egg were created as early as 3 billion years ago in single-celled organisms of the archaea type
Zebra fish. Image: depositphotos.com

Thanks to the study of zebrafish, researchers have identified a mechanism that explains fertility problems in humans

 University researchers have identified a new type of organelle that has not been discovered in gametes before. According to them, a failure in its function causes infertility because it is responsible for the organization of the chromosomes in the sex cells: "The discovery advances us towards finding medical solutions"
Avraham holds his son Yitzchak, who was born a year after the visit of the "angels". Illustration: depositphotos.com

Things that Yoram knows: when did our ancestors discover the facts of life?

  • 16 תגובות
The matriarchal society of the ancient man thrived precisely because of the ignorance of the connection between sex and pregnancy and childbirth, this has changed in the last 8,000 years

A chip to create a seed

  • One response
A research group led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev succeeded in producing an innovative device for the process of creating sperm in culture by using a micro-flow system.
Ultrasound imaging of a four-month-old fetus. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Early signs of autism can be detected already in prenatal ultrasound

  • 4 תגובות
This is according to a study at the National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research at Ben Gurion University
A baby born by forceps is lying in an incubator. Illustration: depositphotos.com

New study: Is forceps birth really dangerous?

In recent years, doctors and obstetricians prefer to perform a caesarean section instead of trying a forceps or vacuum delivery, due to the fear of brain or physical damage, or the development of severe morbidity after birth. At the same time, studies in medical schools regarding such a birth are decreasing. A new study reveals that such fear is not necessarily justified
The biological clock - late pregnancy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

For the first time a way was found to improve the quality of aging eggs

Quiet birth. Illustration: : depositphotos.com

A significant increase in the number of quiet births and the number of cesarean sections performed in delivery rooms

Breastfeeding in the Corona era. Image: depositphotos.com

Giving a corona vaccine to breastfeeding women may contribute to the protection of the nursing baby

  • One response
Prof. Eli Keshet. Photo: Keren A.M.N.

Prof. Eli Keshet, Hebrew, winner of the Israel Prize in the field of life sciences research

In its reasoning, the committee stated that: "The Israel Prize in the field of life sciences research for the year XNUMX is awarded to Prof. Eli Keshet, from the Hebrew University, for his pioneering contributions in understanding the mechanism by which oxygen-deficient conditions stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. These discoveries of his led to the recognition that excess oxygen given in the treatment of premature infants leads to their blindness and led to a change in the treatment of premature infants after their birth.
Science website logo
SEARCH