Skip to main content
Human embryo on the stage of 16 cells on background with DNA
Kateryna_Kon - stock.adobe.com

The use of embryo models to study development - a perspective

IES, IFE,

In the perspective article "In preprints: improving and interrogating embryo models", Antonio Scialdone from the Institute for Epigenetics and Stem Cells, the Institute of Functional Epigenetics, and the Institute of Computational Biology at Helmholtz Munich and Nicolas Rivron from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) at the Vienna BioCenter summarize and discuss two recent preprint articles that pave the way for approaches to improve and utilise embryo models.

Human embryo on the stage of 16 cells on background with DNA
Human embryo on the stage of 16 cells on background with DNA

In the Future, novel embryo models that form out of self-organizing stem cells "in the dish" can be used to understand how cell complexity arises in an embryo during development. Recently, the journal Development published a perspective article by Antiono Scialdone (Helmholtz Munich) and Nicolas Rivron (Vienna Biocenter). The two authors summarize and discuss the two preprints by Anand et al. and Wehmeyer et al. that advance the use of embryo models for pioneering discoveries.

Anand et al. present their new method that augments the efficiency and reproducibility of embryo models. In their preprint, the team around Alexandra shed light into previously unknown functions of classical developmental genes using chimeric gastruloids.

Further Information

Antonio Scialdone and Nicolas Rivron. (2022). In preprints: improving and interrogating embryo models. Development