News
Synthetic Hydrogel Platform for Human Epiblast Development Published in Materials Today
Yanuar Dwi Putra Limasale and colleagues have published a study in Materials Today demonstrating how synthetic glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels can model early human embryo development. Using a Design of Experiments approach, the team systematically investigated how matrix stiffness and adhesiveness control human iPSC-based epiblast formation. The study revealed that matrix adhesiveness is the dominant factor governing cell survival, while stiffness and ROCK inhibition cooperatively drive lumen formation and proper cellular polarization. The resulting epiblast models maintained pluripotency and trilineage differentiation capacity, providing a fully defined alternative to animal-derived matrices.
Publication: Limasale, Y.D.P. et al. A synthetic hydrogel niche reveals the interplay of matrix adhesion and mechanics in human epiblast model development. Materials Today (2025).
05.01.2026