Stem Cell-Derived Embryo Models: Potential Platforms for Investigating Early Development and Embryotoxicity
- Author:
Yeji LEE
1
;
Jeong Tae DO
Author Information
- Publication Type:REVIEW ARTICLE
- From:International Journal of Stem Cells 2025;18(4):338-356
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Stem cell-derived embryo models (SCDEMs) create opportunities to investigate the morphological dynamics and underlying mechanisms of embryonic development, implantation, and post-implantation progression by recapitulating preand peri-implantation stages in vitro—an area that conventional in vivo approaches struggle to investigate. This review provides a comprehensive overview of SCDEMs, detailing the methodologies used to generate synthetic embryos and the diverse types of stem cells employed. Furthermore, we describe how closely these models recapitulate key developmental processes pre- and post-implantation, thereby establishing their value as a platform for studying early mammalian embryogenesis. In addition, we suggest that synthetic embryos are valuable tools for studying environmental toxicity, yet ethical and technical constraints limit systematic in vivo investigations. We evaluate the strengths and limitations of these models in embryotoxicity studies and highlight future research strategies. SCDEMs are expected to significantly advance the broader field of early mammalian developmental biology, with impacts extending well beyond their use in embryotoxicology.
