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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Memento EPFL//
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Special Seminar : Towards reconstituting human somitogenesis & con
 genital diseases of the spine in vitro
DTSTART:20221102T140000
DTEND:20221102T150000
DTSTAMP:20260510T204914Z
UID:f7941a2b43c6975d9f0b83b020953269076b722b00249f31ca0e52d8
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Cantas Alev M.D.\, Ph.D.  \nInstitute for the Advanced Study 
 of Human Biology (ASHBi)\, Kyoto University\, Kyoto\, Japan\nSpecial Semin
 ar hosted by Can Aztekin - Elisir Scholar\nAny PIs or postdocs / students 
 who would be interested in participating in a one-to-one meeting with Prof
 . Alev\, please contact Can Aztekin to arrange\n\nCantas Alev M.D.\, Ph.D.
   \nInstitute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi)\, Kyoto Uni
 versity\, Kyoto\, Japan\n\nAbstract:\n"Somitogenesis\, a core developmenta
 l event during which the metameric body plan of vertebrates is laid out\, 
 has been extensively studied using model organisms such as mouse\, chick o
 r zebrafish\, but remains largely elusive and poorly understood when it co
 mes to human and other primates. Using in vitro-derived presomitic mesoder
 m (PSM)\, we previously succeeded to quantify oscillatory activity of the 
 segmentation clock\, a molecular oscillator believed to control somite for
 mation. Interestingly\, these in vitro models of the segmentation clock di
 d not show any sign of segmentation or somitogenesis despite the presence 
 of oscillatory activity of clock genes such as HES7. Extending on these ea
 rlier findings we then asked whether we could recapitulate not only the cl
 ock but also the actual process of segmentation and epithelial somite form
 ation in vitro. Utilizing again pluripotent stem cells as starting materia
 l we established a 3D in vitro model of human somitogenesis\, which exhibi
 ted periodic formation of properly patterned epithelial somites in synchro
 ny with the segmentation clock. Our selforganizing “axioloids” shared 
 further morphological and molecular features of the human embryo and emerg
 ing vertebrate embryonic axis including presence of opposing morphogen gra
 dients. We also demonstrated a critical role of Retinoic Acid (RA) signall
 ing in the stabilisation of segments\, suggesting synergy of RA and ECM in
  the formation and epithelialisation of somites. Lastly\, we applied our b
 ottom-up model system to study the pathogenesis of human congenital diseas
 es of the spine\, using patient-like iPSC cells with mutations in HES7 and
  MESP2\, which revealed disease-associated phenotypes including loss of ep
 ithelial somite formation and abnormal rostrocaudal patterning. These resu
 lts suggest that axioloids represent a promising novel platform to study a
 xial development and disease in humans".\n\n\n 
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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