Stem cell matrix supports breakthrough in human embryo modelling

A recombinant laminin matrix from Amsbio has played a key role in a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where researchers used stem-cell-derived blastoid models to explore the earliest stages of human development.

The work [1], published in Nature, demonstrates how blastoids — structures generated from pluripotent stem cells that mimic human blastocysts — can be used to interrogate the influence of human-specific LTR5Hs elements during early embryogenesis. The study offers rare insight into epiblast differentiation and mechanisms shaping the earliest phases of development.

At the centre of the team’s culture system was iMatrix-511, a purified human recombinant laminin-511 E8 fragment produced in CHO-S cells. Long regarded as a benchmark matrix for maintaining ES and iPS cells under feeder-free conditions, iMatrix-511 supports robust single-cell passaging and delivers stronger adhesion compared with traditional matrices such as full-length laminin, vitronectin, or Matrigel.

The matrix also integrates into Amsbio’s wider stem cell workflow, working alongside the company’s StemFit media and CELLBANKER cryopreservation reagents as part of a complete solution for ES/iPS cell culture.

The Stanford study highlights how reliable, chemically defined matrices can underpin advanced stem-cell-based embryo models — helping researchers probe questions impossible to answer in human embryos.

More information online

1. A human-specific regulatory mechanism revealed in a pre-implantation model published in Nature