ExpertGlossary

• a hollow sphere of cells formed four days after a sperm fertilizes an egg.
  ALS Association - Cite This Source - This Definition
• A very early embryo consisting of approximately 150 cells. The blastocyst is a spherical cell mass produced by cleavage of the zygote (fertilized egg). It contains a fluid-filled cavity, a cluster of cells called the inner cell mass (from which embryonic stem cells are derived) and an outer layer of cells called the trophoblast (that forms the placenta).
  ISSCR - Cite This Source - This Definition
• Name used for an organism at the blastocyst stage of development.
  The President's Council on Bioethics - Cite This Source - This Definition
• A preimplantation embryo of about 150 to 200 cells. The blastocyst consists of a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophectoderm), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass).
  The President's Council on Bioethics - Cite This Source - This Definition
• A preimplantation embryo of about 150 cells produced by cell division following fertilization. The blastocyst is a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophoblast), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass).
  NIH - Cite This Source - This Definition
• A preimplantation embryo of 30–150 cells. The blastocyst consists of a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophectoderm), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass).
  DHHS - Cite This Source - This Definition
• Browse Related Terms: Blastocoel, blastula, Cleavage, gastrula, Morula

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