Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

63.8K
Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata...
63.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reply: Stem cell-based embryo models: scientific promise clashes with ethical reality.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2026
Same author

Dependence of cell fate potential and cadherin switching on the coordinate within the primitive streak during differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2026
Same author

Human stem cell-based embryo models: innovation, ethics, and policy.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2026
Same author

Primate lineage specification requires suppression of Alu hyperediting.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Insights and emerging perspectives from the 2025 Medaka PI/ERC IndiGene meeting: Heidelberg July 22-24, 2025.

Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists·2026
Same author

Pattern Formation in Cell Cultures.

Annual review of biophysics·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Stencil Micropatterning of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Probing Spatial Organization of Differentiation Fates
08:07

Stencil Micropatterning of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Probing Spatial Organization of Differentiation Fates

Published on: June 17, 2016

8.7K

Fate-Patterning of 2D Gastruloids and Ectodermal Colonies Using Micropatterned Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

George Britton1, Sapna Chhabra1, Joseph Massey2

  • 1Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology Graduate Program, Department of Biosciences, Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|December 19, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed novel in vitro models using human pluripotent stem cells to study early embryonic development and cell fate patterning. These systems enable the investigation of intercellular signaling during inaccessible developmental stages.

Keywords:
Cellular communicationEctodermGastruloidsHuman embryonic stem cells (hESCs)MicropatternsSelf-organizationSignalingTissue patterning

More Related Videos

Patterning the Geometry of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colonies on Compliant Substrates to Control Tissue-Level Mechanics
10:04

Patterning the Geometry of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colonies on Compliant Substrates to Control Tissue-Level Mechanics

Published on: September 28, 2019

8.6K
Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
09:56

Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging

Published on: April 30, 2019

6.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Stencil Micropatterning of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Probing Spatial Organization of Differentiation Fates
08:07

Stencil Micropatterning of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Probing Spatial Organization of Differentiation Fates

Published on: June 17, 2016

8.7K
Patterning the Geometry of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colonies on Compliant Substrates to Control Tissue-Level Mechanics
10:04

Patterning the Geometry of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colonies on Compliant Substrates to Control Tissue-Level Mechanics

Published on: September 28, 2019

8.6K
Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
09:56

Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging

Published on: April 30, 2019

6.8K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Stem cell biology
  • Cellular self-organization

Background:

  • Intercellular signaling drives self-organization of cell fates in mammalian embryos.
  • Studying early embryonic development in vivo is limited by spatial and temporal resolution challenges.
  • In vitro models offer complementary systems for studying early human development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide protocols for in vitro models of early human development.
  • To investigate self-organized cell patterning using human pluripotent stem cells.
  • To study intercellular signaling during inaccessible embryonic stages.

Main Methods:

  • Differentiating human pluripotent stem cells on micropatterned colonies of defined size and shape.
  • Developing two distinct in vitro systems to model specific developmental patterning events.

Main Results:

  • The first system replicates germ layer patterning during gastrulation.
  • The second system replicates medial-lateral patterning within the ectoderm.
  • These models allow for the study of signaling in self-organized patterning.

Conclusions:

  • Micropatterned human pluripotent stem cell systems provide accessible models for studying early embryonic development.
  • These in vitro systems facilitate the investigation of intercellular signaling mechanisms underlying cell fate determination.
  • The developed protocols enable research into otherwise inaccessible stages of human development.