Cellular Reprogramming and Microfluidics Enable Large-Scale Blastoid Production from Aged Donors

Blastoids are stem cell-based cellular models that resemble preimplantation embryos and have the potential to ease the investigation of developmental processes and associated diseases. Despite the fast-paced progress of blastoid technology in mice and humans, there was limited evidence of its potential for nonhuman primates. Wu et al. developed a highly efficient protocol for blastoid production in rhesus monkeys and performed standard assays for blastoid characterization at the cellular and molecular levels. By applying cellular reprogramming, Wu et al. generated blastoids from young and aged monkeys. The integration of blastoid protocol with microfluidics allowed their production at scale. If follow-up reports describe blastoid differentiation to peri- and post-implantation stages, it may place rhesus monkeys as an attractive model species for exploring mammalian development ex vivo.