Stem Cell Embryo Model Wins Royan Prize for Iranian Scientist
WANA (Sep 14) – An Iranian researcher has developed a laboratory model of a human embryo using stem cells, opening new avenues for studying early development and improving infertility treatments.
The breakthrough earned international recognition at the 24th Royan International Festival, held on September 3, where Heydar Heydari Khoyi was awarded in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine category.
Simulating Early Human Growth in the Lab
Access to human embryos for research is extremely limited, as the earliest stages of development occur inside the fallopian tubes and uterus. Ethical restrictions further complicate direct study. To address this, Heydari Khoyi and his team created embryo-like models using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can be generated from adult cells.
“With these models, we can examine early embryonic development more precisely and advance scientific progress in the field,” he said.
What the Models Can Do
The stem cell-based embryo models allow researchers to study developmental processes and related diseases without using real embryos. According to Heydari Khoyi, these models can be produced on a large scale, enabling detailed investigations that were previously impossible.
“They allow us to study early developmental processes in detail, to identify drugs or factors that could improve embryo quality, and ultimately to enhance implantation success—a key challenge in fertility, especially for infertile couples,” he said.
His team has also created maternal uterine cell models. By combining them with embryonic models, scientists can study how embryonic and maternal cells interact during the earliest stages of development.
Stem Cell Embryo Model Wins Royan Prize for Iranian Scientist. Social media/ WANA News Agency
The models also allow researchers to trace how the three main embryonic cell types emerge, interact, and differentiate—questions that were previously unanswerable due to lack of access to real embryos.
From Research to Application
Heydari Khoyi noted that his group published an article on the subject about two years ago. Since then, a knowledge-based company has begun pharmaceutical testing based on his invention. Early results suggest factors that improve embryo quality have been identified, though clinical trials are still needed.
Currently, around 20–30 research groups worldwide are using these models to study cellular development, thanks to their ability to be mass-produced and replicate early embryonic stages.
Why an Iranian Scientist Was Recognized Internationally
Heydari Khoyi is currently based in Austria, which is why he was honored in the International category of the Royan Festival. He studied at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, where he completed a joint thesis with the Royan Institute and served as an elite conscript researcher.
About six years ago, after earning his PhD in Iran, he moved to Austria for postdoctoral research at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
A Thesis That Led to an Invention
Explaining the origins of his idea, he said: “My thesis was on uterine cells, but since working with real human embryos was so difficult—limited in number and requiring ethical approvals—I saw the need to build lab-based human models. At the lab in Austria, they had just published mouse embryo models, and now we are working on human ones.”
Stem Cell Embryo Model Wins Royan Prize for Iranian Scientist. Social media/ WANA News Agency
