摘要
Successful embryo implantation requires highly coordinated maternal-embryo interactions.Implantation failure is a major factor contributing to infertility.However,the mechanism underlying implantation failure remains unclear.An improved understanding of the early implantation process not only improves the success rate of assisted reproductive treatments but also helps in studying the pathophysiology of reproductive disorders.Owing to ethical concerns,in vivo studies of human embryo implantation are not feasible.However,the results obtained from animal models cannot be directly applied to humans.Over the years,in vitro implantation models have been developed to investigate implantation mechanisms.In this review,we discuss the use of different models for generating embryo-like surrogates to study early embryo development and implantation in vitro,with a specific focus on stem cell-derived blastocyst-like embryo surrogates.There is no definitive evidence that the recently established embryo-like models re-capitulate all developmental events of human embryos during the peri-implantation stage.Regardless,stem cell-derived embryo surrogates are the most valuable tools for studying the mechanisms of early cell lineage differentiation and developmental failures during implantation.
基金
supported in part by a General Research Fund(grant number:17111414)
Research Grants Council of Hong Kong
Health and Medical Research Fund(grant numbers:HMRF 04151546)
Food and Health Bureau,Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(KQTD20190929172749226)
The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital Fund for Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline(SZXK2020089)
作者简介
Corresponding author:William Shu-Biu Yeung,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation,The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital,Shenzhen 518053,China.E-mail:wsbyeung@hku.hk;Corresponding author:Yin Lau Lee,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine,The University of Hong Kong,21 Sassoon Road,Hong Kong SAR 999077,China.E-mail:cherielee@hku.hk
