# New stem cell models reveal how earliest human placenta structures take shape

Source: [Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-stem-cell-reveal-earliest-human.html) · 2026-11-10 · Medicine
Page: https://themorning.science/story/new-stem-cell-models-reveal-how-earliest-human-placenta-structures-take-shape-322f2ee983c32c4c
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Columbia researchers led by Mijo Simunovic created lab-grown organoids that reconstruct the earliest steps of human placenta formation.
- The placenta's earliest formation stages had been hidden from direct scientific observation.
- The work uses stem cell models to study placenta structures that previously could not be observed.

## Why it matters

Early placenta development is difficult to study in humans, so lab models that reproduce these steps give researchers a new way to investigate how pregnancy begins and where it can go wrong.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10: Medical Xpress reports Columbia study on stem cell models of earliest human placenta formation

## Coverage

- [New stem cell models reveal how earliest human placenta structures take shape](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-stem-cell-reveal-earliest-human.html) — Medical Xpress - latest medical and health news stories, 2026-11-10

Tags: placenta, stem cells, organoids, developmental biology, pregnancy

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science