O-156 Embryo-like models: Using 3D gastruloids to understand human development

Abstract The mammalian embryo develops through coordinated cell fate decisions that enable emerging spatiotemporal and morphogenetic complexity. While much insight into this process has been gained studying model organisms, including mouse embryos, equivalent experiments are technically ethically challenging in the human embryonic context. Instead, we use gastruloids: 3-dimensional aggregates of pluripotent stem cells undergo multilineage differentiation to all three germ layers, polarise their gene expression exhibit axial organisation recapitulates many features gastrulation early organogenesis. By closely examining dynamics coordination spatial organisation, hope better understand regulatory logic behind developmental events, particularly those human-specific. Likewise, by carefully manipulating environment which these gastruloids grown, can bias structures towards particular lineages morphological interest. Doing so allows us explore principles development, provides an opportunity probe mechanisms biomedically-relevant conditions, such as congenital abnormalities.