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0This article describes the creation of a comprehensive primate embryoid system derived from cynomolgus totipotent blastomere-like cells (cTBLCs). By using a specialized culture method to repress the spliceosome, researchers successfully reprogrammed pluripotent stem cells into a totipotent-like state that mimics the earliest stages of life. These cTBLCs can autonomously self-assemble into blastoids without the need for external signaling molecules, eventually progressing through gastrulation and into early organogenesis. The resulting structures exhibit complex features such as neural tubes, regionalized gut tissues, and spontaneously beating heart-like structures. This research identifies a unique intrinsic developmental program that functions independently of traditional fertilization events. Ultimately, this platform provides a powerful in vitro framework to study primate development and human disease while overcoming the ethical and practical limitations of using natural embryos.
References:
Zheng W, Peng B, Chen Z, et al. Continuous modeling of primate embryogenesis from totipotency to early organogenesis[J]. Cell, 2026.
