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10 May 2026
Lab Closure
For ethical reasons studying human embryo development is prohibited beyond a very early point, so much is now achieved using lab-grown organoids – models of embryogenesis derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Here, in such a system, researchers have elucidated molecules regulating neural tube closure (ZIC2, SOX11 and ZNF521 – shown normal left column and without each of these in the remaining columns) – the process necessary for development of the nervous system – providing insights for understanding and treating neural tube defects such as spina bifida
Read the published research article here
Written by
- Image from work by Roya E Huang and Giridhar M Anand, and colleagues
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- Published in eLife (reviewed preprint), April 2026
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