Recent advances in synthetic human embryology has provided a previously inexistent molecular portrait of human development. Models of synthetic human embryonic tissues capitalize on the self-organizing capabilities of human embryonic stem cells when they are cultured on biomimetic conditions that simulate in vivo human development. In this Review, we discuss these models and how they have shed light on the early stages of human development including amniotic sac development, gastrulation and neurulation. We discuss the mechanisms underlying the molecular logic of embryonic tissue self-organization that have been dissected using synthetic models of human embryology and explore future challenges in the field. Geared with technological advances in bioengineering, high resolution gene expression and imaging tools, these models are set to transform our understanding of the mechanistic basis of embryonic tissue self-organization during human development and how they may go awry in disease.

合成人类胚胎学的最新进展提供了以前不存在的人类发育分子画像。合成人类胚胎组织模型利用人类胚胎干细胞在模拟体内的仿生条件下培养时的自组织能力人类发展。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了这些模型以及它们如何阐明人类发育的早期阶段，包括羊膜囊发育、原肠胚形成和神经形成。我们讨论了胚胎组织自组织的分子逻辑背后的机制，这些机制已经使用人类胚胎学的合成模型进行了剖析，并探索了该领域的未来挑战。随着生物工程、高分辨率基因表达和成像工具方面的技术进步，这些模型将改变我们对人类发育过程中胚胎组织自组织机制基础以及它们如何在疾病中出错的理解。