Topic description and stories

From exploring ancient ideas of generation to understanding new frontiers in fertility, Cambridge researchers are working across disciplines to study reproduction from multiple perspectives.

"Reproduction matters to us all": latest issue of Horizons magazine

20 November 2020

Professor Kathy Niakan talks about why it’s vital to take a multidisciplined approach to understanding the urgent challenges posed by reproduction today – and introduces our Spotlight on some of this work, highlighted in the latest issue of Cambridge's Horizons magazine.

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Photos of embryos of horizon XVII, published in Contributions to Embryology in 1948 and still in use as Carnegie Stage 17.

The rise, fall and revival of research on human development

02 Aug 2024

A new study takes a tour of the history of research into human embryology and development to show the "cycles of attention" that led to major...

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Single embryo model

Pioneering Code of Practice released for use of stem cell-based embryo models in research

04 Jul 2024

The University of Cambridge, in partnership with the Progress Educational Trust, has led work to create the first ever UK guidelines for the...

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Microscopic image of placental organoids

‘Mini-placentas’ help scientists understand the causes of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy disorders

17 Jan 2024

Scientists have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to shed light on how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the...

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Pregnant woman about to be sick

Why seven in ten women experience pregnancy sickness

13 Dec 2023

A Cambridge-led study has shown why many women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy – and why some women, including the Duchess of...

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Pregnant person holding her stomach

Thousands of pregnancies tracked in UK’s biggest study on pre-eclampsia

19 Jul 2023

Up to 3,500 first time mums are due to take part in a study led by Cambridge researchers to understand why some will develop pre-eclampsia and...

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Day 4 embryoid

Human embryo-like models created from stem cells to understand earliest stages of human development

27 Jun 2023

Cambridge scientists have created a stem cell-derived model of the human embryo in the lab by reprogramming human stem cells. The breakthrough could...

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Human stem cell embedded in a 3D matrix, Cryo SEM

Project launched to provide guidance on research using human stem cell-based embryo models

16 Jun 2023

The University of Cambridge has launched a project to develop the first governance framework for research involving stem cell-based human embryo...

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Cells of the placenta

Cell mapping and ‘mini placentas’ give new insights into human pregnancy

29 Mar 2023

Researchers have mapped the complete trajectory of placental development, helping shed new light on why pregnancy disorders happen.

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‘Synthetic’ embryo with brain and beating heart grown from stem cells

25 Aug 2022

New model embryo, using mouse stem cells, reaches a further point in development than has been achieved in any other stem cell-derived model.

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Black woman holding newborn baby in hospital bed

Racial discrimination linked to increased risk of premature babies

05 Aug 2022

Women who experience racial discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, race or nationality are at increased risk of giving birth prematurely...

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Bifidobacterium breve

Maternal microbiome promotes healthy development of the baby

28 Jun 2022

Researchers studying mice have found the first evidence of how a mother’s gut microbes can help in the development of the placenta, and the healthy...

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Laser-assisted analysis of a marmoset embryo after implantation

Molecular 3D-maps unlock new ways of studying human reproduction

16 Jun 2022

Scientists have identified the biochemical signals that control the emergence of the body pattern in the primate embryo. This will guide work to...

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