A group of researchers has suggested that the definition of the human embryo needs to be updated. Recent developments have demonstrated that human stem cells can be utilized to form structures that resemble embryos, known as embryo models, which can reproduce some aspects of early embryo development. These organisms don't fit the legal definition of an embryo, hence the regulations governing embryo research do not apply to this research, which presents ethical questions.
The Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna biologist Nicolas Rivron and his colleagues propose a new definition of human embryos that would encompass embryo models that gain the ability to develop into a fetus in a paper published in Cell on August 17th.
