Scientists Are Able To Grow Chickens Without Eggshells, Representing A Significant Breakthrough For Stem Cell Research
A major breakthrough has been made in stem cell research with the development of a new method to grow chicken embryos without their eggshells.
It could lead to direct observation of chick embryo development and improve scientists’ understanding of how they grow.
Since chicken eggshells are opaque, chick embryo development has always been somewhat of a mystery to scientists. There have been attempts to create transparent eggshells in labs, but those were unsuccessful.
During one attempt, embryos were removed from their shells after three days of incubation and transferred to a transparent artificial cultural vessel, where they would hatch. However, the embryos did not develop normally. By the third day, the membrane of the yolk got too dry.
A team of Japanese researchers has come up with a system that replaces the eggshell of domestic white leghorn chickens (Gallus domesticus), allowing for monitoring of the bird’s embryonic development.
The researchers put the chicken eggs in an artificial culture vessel made from transparent film. They suspected that the drying out of the yolk membrane was impeding normal development.
To prevent the yolk membrane from drying out, they placed their culture vessel on top of a rotary shaker that generated constant movement. Its top plate was at an angle of about seven degrees.
The team tested different rotational periods, including six rotations per minute, 10 rotations per minute, and 28 rotations per minute.
The development and survival of embryos at each period varied after 10 days. The survival rate was highest at six rotations per minute, but all the embryos showed signs of developmental delays.
J Maas/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual chickens
At 10 rotations per minute, the survival rate was slightly lower. Some embryos had abnormalities, but the survival rate for normal embryos was strong.
By the 10-day mark, all embryos at 28 rotations per minute had abnormalities they could not survive. So, it appeared that 10 rotations per minute were ideal for the embryos’ survival and development.
The researchers also experimented with adding oxygen and a bit of calcium carbonate powder to the developing embryos. In addition, they even wiggled the culture vessel by hand.
It was done three to five times every three to 10 hours within the first 24 to 48 hours of being in the culture vessel.
This method was the most successful of all. Several chicks hatched at the end of the normal incubation period and grew into regular chickens.
The hatch rate was 3.3 percent at 10 rotations per minute with oxygen. However, when the manual wiggling was incorporated, the hatch rate increased to 10.5 percent.
Now, scientists will be able to observe the growth of embryos in real-time. In addition, the breakthrough can provide a possible new tool for a range of disciplines, such as stem cell research, toxic chemical analysis, bio-imaging, and regenerative medicine.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.
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