Scientists grow mini organs from cells in amniotic fluid

On Monday, U.K. scientists released a study detailing how they were able to grow mini organs, called “organoids,” from lung, kidney, and small intestine cells that an unborn infant shed in amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds the unborn child in the womb. They collected the fluid from 12 pregnancies between 16th and 34th weeks of gestation. Organoids, or mini-organs, are simplified structures that are grown from stem cells which mimic real organs. Prior to the study, organoids were grown from adult stem cells, and in some cases, cells from aborted pregnancies. This is the first time that organoids have been grown from ongoing pregnancies and opens up new research possibilities.

What does this mean for future research? Because the cells are taken from amniotic fluid, scientists can now study organoids at every stage in fetal development. This could help doctors better monitor and treat congenital conditions they see in unborn babies. In this study, researchers grew organoids from cells taken from a fetus that has a congenital condition and used them to assess the child’s condition and health needs before birth.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s article about a baby that underwent surgery in the womb in WORLD Roundups.