Experts from California have found a way to stop pregnancy for a certain period or pause. So far, scientists have managed to do this for only 30 days, after which the fetus has developed in a completely natural way.
Researchers from the University of California, while studying the processes of embryo formation in rodents, did the seemingly impossible: they managed to temporarily completely stop the development of the fetus, and then restart this process. In other words, the scientists managed to "pause the pregnancy." After the "release from the pause" and delivery, the offspring, born, turned out to be absolutely healthy.
It should be noted that it is impossible to keep this process on pause indefinitely. The researchers managed to slow down the development of the fetus for a period of 30 days. In this case, the developmental stage at which the embryo is located should not be later than the blastocyst stage.
The most interesting thing is that the body can independently perform this function. This is called diapause. This condition occurs as a result of the threat to the life of the fetus from external conditions, or if the nutrition of the mother, and therefore the fetus, is abruptly stopped. This process is controlled by a protein called mTOR. An increase in the concentration of inhibitors of this protein makes it possible to increase the "pause" time.
As scientists say, such a procedure will help not only in embryology, but also in the fight against cancer and aging of the body. The point is that cancer and stem cells can also be “paused”. This could open a new chapter in cancer treatment and stem cell research. Scientists argue that an increase in the "pause" period is possible, but in this case, the fetus may need a lot of nutrients, which can affect the health of the mother.
Like many discoveries, this was done by accident. According to the lead author of the study, Aidan Bulut-Karsioglu, “The opening came as a surprise. We set out to study how mTOR suppression slows down the growth of blastocyst cells, rather than finding a way to hibernate embryos. Subsequent experiments have shown that embryonic stem cells obtained from an embryo at the blastocyst stage can also be immersed in a state of suspended animation with cell growth regulator inhibitors. The drugs appear to work by decreasing gene activity in most of the genome, with the exception of a few dominant genes, which in themselves can suppress the activity of others. This is a prime example of the power of fundamental science. We did not look for ways to stop blastocyst development or mimic diapause. We have not tried to create an effective cancer therapy or develop more effective methods for tissue regeneration or organ transplantation.”
VLADIMIR KUZNETSOV
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