Digital embryo gives China a powerful tool to decode the secret of life: scientists

The world-first scientific breakthrough will enhance understanding of disease development, organ regeneration and cancer treatment

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Chinese scientists have developed a digital mouse embryo which they hope will help to uncover the cause of diseases such as congenital heart defects. Pictured is a mouse embryo in vitro. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:00pm, 27 Jun 2025Updated: 1:08pm, 27 Jun 2025

Scientists in China have developed the world’s first 3D model of early mouse embryos, revealing how life forms in its initial stages at single-cell resolution.

The team said this was a first step towards a deeper understanding of how diseases such as congenital heart defects develop, while providing insights into organ regeneration and cancer treatment.

“Early organogenesis is a crucial stage in embryonic development, characterised by extensive cell fate specification to initiate organ formation but also by a high susceptibility to developmental defects,” they wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell last week.

The researchers are from Southeast University in Nanjing, BGI-Research, Fujian Medical University, Sichuan University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen, Guangzhou Laboratory and the University of Science and Technology of China.

Cell fate specification is the process where cells are guided by molecular signals and genetic cues towards developing into cell types with different functions.

“A single fertilised egg gives rise to hundreds of cell types that form different tissues and organs. This process is intricately orchestrated. If abnormalities occur, they are likely to lead to diseases,” co-corresponding author Fang Xiaodong, vice-president of BGI-Research, said.

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