3D gastruloids: a novel frontier in stem cell-based in vitro modeling of mammalian gastrulation

Susanne C. van den Brink*, Alexander van Oudenaarden

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

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Abstract

3D gastruloids, aggregates of embryonic stem cells that recapitulate key aspects of gastrula-stage embryos, have emerged as a powerful tool to study the early stages of mammalian post-implantation development in vitro. Owing to their tractable nature and the relative ease by which they can be generated in large numbers, 3D gastruloids provide an unparalleled opportunity to study normal and pathological embryogenesis from a bottom-up perspective and in a high-throughput manner. Here, we review how gastruloid models can be exploited to deepen our understanding of mammalian development. In addition, we discuss current limitations, potential clinical applications, and ethical implications of this emerging model system.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)747-759
Number of pages13
JournalTrends in Cell Biology
Volume31
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021

Keywords

  • 3D gastruloids
  • applications
  • embryology
  • in vitro 3D embryo models
  • stem cells

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