At the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, the developmental biologist is probing the maternal-fetal interface across mammalian species.
Hematopietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent cells found in the blood and bone marrow with the ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types during bone marrow hematopoiesis
The Sloan Kettering researcher used mutagenic screening to probe genes and molecular pathways, including Toll and Hedgehog, essential to development in fruit flies and mice.
With just a molecular nudge, aggregates of embryonic stem cells take shape as a “gastroloid,” bearing the genetic hallmarks and spatial organization of early development.
The finding confirms that a cluster of cells that directs the fate of other cells in the developing embryo is evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom.
Associate Professor in Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Texas at Austin, John Wallingford, makes his living using cutting-edge microscopic techniques to watch developmental events unfold in real time.