Assembling a model of the uterus lining

Growing cells from the lining of the uterus as a three-dimensional tissue in the laboratory could identify the causes of pregnancy disorders and help develop potential treatments.

An assembloid showing the nuclei of the cells in blue, stromal cells in red and epithelial cells in green. Image credit: Maria Tryfonos (CC BY 4.0)

At the beginning of a human pregnancy, the embryo implants into the uterus lining, known as the endometrium. At this point, the endometrium transforms into a new tissue that helps the placenta to form. Problems in this transformation process are linked to pregnancy disorders, many of which can lead to implantation failure (the embryo fails to invade the endometrium altogether) or recurrent miscarriages (the embryo implants successfully, but the interface between the placenta and the endometrium subsequently breaks down).

Studying the implantation of human embryos directly is difficult due to ethical and technical barriers, and animals do not perfectly mimic the human process, making it challenging to determine the causes of pregnancy disorders. However, it is likely that a form of cellular arrest called senescence, in which cells stop dividing but remain metabolically active, plays a role. Indeed, excessive senescence in the cells that make up the endometrium is associated with recurrent miscarriage, while a lack of senescence is associated with implantation failure.

To study this process, Rawlings et al. developed a new laboratory model of the human endometrium by assembling two of the main cell types found in the tissue into a three-dimensional structure. When treated with hormones, these ‘assembloids’ successfully mimic the activity of genes in the cells of the endometrium during implantation. Rawlings et al. then exposed the assembloids to the drug dasatinib, which targets and eliminates senescent cells. This experiment showed that assembloids become very robust and static when devoid of senescent cells.

Rawlings et al. then studied the interaction between embryos and assembloids using time-lapse imaging. In the absence of dasatinib treatment, cells in the assembloid migrated towards the embryo as it expanded, a process required for implantation. However, when senescent cells were eliminated using dasatinib, this movement of cells towards the embryo stopped, and the embryo failed to expand, in a situation that mimicks implantation failure.

The assembloid model of the endometrium may help scientists to study endometrial defects in the lab and test potential treatments. Further work will include other endometrial cell types in the assembloids, and could help increase the reliability of the model. However, any drug treatments identified using this model will need further research into their safety and effectiveness before they can be offered to patients.