Scientists develop more accurate stem-cell model of early developing mouse embryo

(Hubrecht Institute) Scientists from the Hubrecht Institute (KNAW) and the University of Cambridge (UK) have managed to generate complex embryo-like structures from mouse embryonic stem cells. These structures, called gastruloids, can now for the first time grow somites, the blocks of tissue that later develop into the vertebrae and muscles of the embryo. This model system, published in Nature on Feb. 19, can be used to study embryonic development in a dish.