Overview

• The IBEC team and Dexeus University Hospital created a collagen-based gel system that lets human embryos implant under controlled laboratory conditions.
• Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy revealed human embryos mobilizing to burrow into a uterine-like matrix and allowed researchers to measure the traction forces driving this process.
• Comparative tests showed mouse embryos spread superficially on the matrix while human embryos penetrate deeply and become fully embedded.
• Scientists observed embryos remodeling surrounding collagen and responding to mechanical cues, leading to hypotheses that uterine contractions influence implantation success.
• Researchers plan to standardize the platform for broader adoption and to leverage these insights in studies of implantation failure and assisted reproduction outcomes.