A 3D Model for Studying Human Spine Development

Scientists recreate ticking “segmentation clock” in organoids.

Researchers in the lab of HMS geneticist Olivier Pourquié have created 3D cell culture models — or organoids — that mimic early spine development in humans.

To the team’s delight, the organoids include a ticking “segmentation clock” like those the researchers previously identified in the embryos of several species and replicated in human stem cells. Each tick of the clock triggers the formation of a regularly spaced vertebra precursor, or somite.

Here, microscope images reveal vivid details in the organoids’ somite-like structures.

The organoids are allowing Pourquié and other researchers to learn more about aspects of human development, including how cells organize or segment into specialized organs and tissues.