Scientists record first real time implantation of human embryo in uterus

For the very first time, a human embryo being implanted into a laboratory model of a uterus has been captured in real-time 3D footage.

The footage consists of various images showing how the process occurs naturally and paving the way for advancing fertility procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The groundbreaking footage was recorded by researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in a partnership with Dexes University Hospital which donated human embryos.

Samuel Ojosnegros, the lead author of the study, shed light on the utility of this process.

“We have observed that human embryos burrow into the uterus, exerting a considerable force during the process. These forces are highly necessary because they help the embryos invade the uterine tissue and become integrated with it. It is a surprisingly invasive process,” Samuel said.

In a study published in the journal Science Advances, the scientists explained the apparatus that enabled them to record a video of implantation. The apparatus is based on gel made partly by collagen and uterine tissue, showing real-time fluorescence imaging and analysis of embryo’s interaction with its surroundings.

The study also showed the embryo implantation occurs when a fertilised egg is attached to the lining of the uterus about 6 to 12 days after ovulation.

Besides the attachment, the human embryo penetrates the tissues completely before growing from the inside out unlike other mammalian embryos.

It also releases the enzymes that break down the surrounding tissues.

According to researchers, this first-ever recording of the implantation process will open a breakthrough in fertility treatments. Because, the failure of the implantation process is the main reason for infertility, leading to 60 percent miscarriages.

This revolutionary research will not improve the implantation process but also reduce rates of miscarriages.

Amélie Godeau, the co-author of the study, said, “ We observe that the embryo pulls on the uterine matrix, moving and reorganising it. We hypothesise that contractions occurring in vivo may influence embryo implementation.”