In vitro models of presomitic mesoderm differentiation

We have developed a quasi-2D in vitro system in which human iPS cells can recapitulate the developmental stages of the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), including oscillations of the segmentation clock and somitogenesis. This setup ‘simplifies’ a complex 3D problem into a more tractable 2D problem. We propose to use this system to characterize how both substrate mechanical properties and geometric constraints impact cellular dynamics, differentiation, and morphogenesis during embryonic development. Because this protocol allows to produce thousands of perfectly synchronized human somites in a dish, we're also considering its potential as a tool for producing large quantities of pure muscle fibers from patient-derived iPS cells for clinical use.

Models: human iPS cells

CollaboratorS

Olivier Pourquié, Harvard Medical School, USA.
Saverio Tedesco, University College London, UK.