Organoids to Gastruloids

An early human embryo
“In 2020, a collaborative group of researchers from the University of Cambridge (UK) and the Hubrecht Institute (The Netherlands) developed a model of human gastrulation, mimicking the key elements of a human embryo at around days 18–21 post conception. Publishing their work in Nature, the researchers used human embryonic stem cells to generate a 3D-assembly of cells, known as gastruloids, which differentiate into the three distinct layers seen in a human gastrula (Figure 3). To generate the gastruloids, defined numbers of cells were placed into small wells, in which they formed tight cellular aggregates. Following chemical treatment, the gastruloids lengthened along the anteroposterior axis and genes were up-regulated in patterns that reflected elements of a mammalian body plan. When studying the genes expressed, the researchers were able to identify a clear signature of the developmental event that gives rise to key bodily structures, such as thoracic muscles, bone and cartilage “ MORE
Image Credit: Future-Science.com