“Fluid Pressure in the Womb: Impact on Facial Development and Malformations”

New research has found that increased pressure experienced by an embryo in the womb due to fluids can impact facial development, which in turn increases the risk of malformations. The study has shown that still fluids can exert hydrostatic pressure, which can hinder the healthy development of facial features. Researchers at the University College, London performed their analyses in mice and frog embryos, as well as in lab-grown structures made of human stem cells. Human stem cells are capable of self-renewal and have the potential to become specialized cells such as those in muscles, blood, or the brain. These cells are essential for tissue maintenance and repairs following an injury. The study’s lead author, Roberto Mayor, professor of developmental and cellular neurobiology at the University College, London, said that “our findings suggest that facial malformations could be influenced not only by genetics but by physical cues in the womb such as pressure.” Mayor and his colleagues had previously found that cells in developing embryos sense the stiffness of other cells around them, which is key to them moving together to form the face and skull. The study has been published in the Nature Cell Biology journal.