New paper from my lab and @JShendure lab! Led by the brilliant @Zukailiu and @CXchengxiangQIU. We tackle a question: How do anterior and posterior progenitor cells cooperate to self-organize into an embryonic structure (termed AP-gastruloid)? (1/n) https://t.co/PjZ7ZpuhOV

Please RP! A 4-day synbio and tissue engineering conference #MASSIV to transform biology and medicine together. Couldn't list all amazing speakers, so please check out this 👉 https://t.co/bLiKLhBPGk Poster due is Nov 7, but will be extended. With @StemCellNetwork and JST.

@connorkub @evaknichols @VinetteY @CholiCharlieLee @BrotmanBaty @AllenFrontiers @HHMINEWS @UWashOBGYN @uwgenome @UWISCRM @UWMedicine @cziscience Correction for the Zukai's account, it's @liu_zukai

@connorkub @evaknichols @VinetteY @CholiCharlieLee Huge thanks to all my lab members, and our funders for their support, including [@BrotmanBaty, @AllenFrontiers, @HHMINEWS, @UWashOBGYN, @uwgenome, @UWISCRM, @UWmedicine, @cziscience, etc.]. (9/n)

It has been an incredible journey with all co-authors @connorkub, Stella Xu, Riza M. Daza, @evaknichols, @VinetteY, Anh Vo, Mary B. O’Neill, @CholiCharlieLee (8/n)

Finally, we tested if the AP-gastruloid model can model the neural tube defects by treating Rock inhibitor and Folic acid antagonist. Interestingly, those two treatments demonstrated distinct patterns of defects. (7/n)

Importantly, this “pattern-and-mix” strategy could robustly induce these self-organization processes with >90% efficiency. (6/n)

scRNA-seq revealed that the AP-gastruloid contained 26 cell types (CS 11 stage), including regionalized neural crest (cranial, vagal, trunk), head and paraxial mesoderm, cardiomyocytes, renal epithelium, and early neurons. (5/n)

The two aggregates immediately fused and began to self-organize as a single structure. Anterior (WNT-free) cells intercalated to the center of the posterior aggregate to form hindbrain, a continuous neural tube, and bilaterally segmented somites. (4/n)

We reasoned that homogeneous supplementation of the WNT signal, which activates the gastrulation programme, would simultaneously activate posterior embryonic fate. Therefore, we induced two populations (WNT-free and WNT-treated) and combined them, and we were surprised (3/n).

Stem-cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs), including Gastruloid models, have pioneered a new avenue in the field of experimental developmental biology. However, the existing human gastruloid models primarily capture posterior embryonic fates. (2/n)

@connorkub @evaknichols @VinetteY @CholiCharlieLee Huge thanks to all my lab members, and our funders for their support, including [@BrotmanBaty, @AllenFrontiers, @HHMINEWS, @UWashOBGYN, @uwgenome, @UWISCRM, @UWmedicine, @cziscience, etc.]. (9/n)

It has been an incredible journey with all co-authors @connorkub, Stella Xu, Riza M. Daza, @evaknichols, @VinetteY, Anh Vo, Mary B. O’Neill, @CholiCharlieLee (8/n)

Finally, we tested if the AP-gastruloid model can model the neural tube defects by treating Rock inhibitor and Folic acid antagonist. Interestingly, those two treatments demonstrated distinct patterns of defects. (7/n)

Importantly, this “pattern-and-mix” strategy could robustly induce these self-organization processes with >90% efficiency. (6/n)

scRNA-seq revealed that the AP-gastruloid contained 26 cell types (CS 11 stage), including regionalized neural crest (cranial, vagal, trunk), head and paraxial mesoderm, cardiomyocytes, renal epithelium, and early neurons. (5/n)

The two aggregates immediately fused and began to self-organize as a single structure. Anterior (WNT-free) cells intercalated to the center of the posterior aggregate to form hindbrain, a continuous neural tube, and bilaterally segmented somites. (4/n)

We reasoned that homogeneous supplementation of the WNT signal, which activates the gastrulation programme, would simultaneously activate posterior embryonic fate. Therefore, we induced two populations (WNT-free and WNT-treated) and combined them, and we were surprised (3/n).

Stem-cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs), including Gastruloid models, have pioneered a new avenue in the field of experimental developmental biology. However, the existing human gastruloid models primarily capture posterior embryonic fates. (2/n)

拡散宜しくお願いします。#MBSJ2025 @mbsj_2025 にて京都大学のCantas Alevさん @alevlab とシンポジウム「Synthetic Stem Cell Biology」をオーガナイズします。@kenjikamimoto68 さん、Sebastian Streichanさんにもご登壇頂きます。公募演題も採択させて頂きたいので、ご応募頂けますと嬉しいです。