Scientists create 'mini placenta' organoids in a lab dish

Scientists in Britain have succeeded in creating mini human placenta organoids which they say will transform scientific understanding of reproductive disorders such as pre-eclampsia and miscarriage. The organoids - miniature functional cellular models of the human placenta's earliest stages - will also allow researchers to explore what makes a pregnancy healthy, and how certain diseases can pass from a mother to a developing baby. The human placenta supplies all the oxygen and nutrients essential for growth of a foetus.