Some biological processes and genetic diseases, like FSHD, begin very early when muscles first start to form. But it’s very hard to study these early stages of development in animals or humans. To get around this, we use something called a gastruloid – a tiny 3D cluster of stem cells that acts like a simplified version of an embryo. At this stage, called gastrulation, the stem cells reorganize into three layers that will later give rise to all the different tissues and organs in the body.
Impact
To understand why and how certain genetic diseases occur, it’s important to know how tissues like muscle form in the very early stages of life. Instead of using animals, scientists can study this using embryo-like models such as gastruloids. These models provide an animal-friendly and more effective way to investigate diseases, try out new therapies, and check for possible side effects on a large but relevant scale.
reNEW research
The Geijsen lab focuses on studying how, during early embryonic development, pluripotent cells develop into specific cell types, with particular interest in the formation of normal or aberrant skeletal muscle tissue. For this purpose, the lab focusses on three scientific areas: 1) developing in vitro models; 2) developing gene editing tools; 3) translating findings into therapies for genetic diseases.
Image description
Mirrored to how the 3 germ layers are crucial for embryogenesis, the illustration portrays inspiration combined from the 3 reNEW sites:
- gastruloids as a subject source from Leiden
- detail and color vibrancy inspired by Australian artist Jacob Sarra
- complementary pastel color use by Danish artist J.F. Willumsen
Credits
Annabel Ebbing, Project Leader, Pascale Dijkers, assistant professor, Mehmet Yildiz, PhD student, Geijsen lab, reNEW Leiden.
