Engineering Organizer Cells to Build Organs from Scratch
While NTU’s work focuses on refining existing models, researchers at UCSF and Cedars-Sinai are tackling the challenge of “building from the bottom” organ creation. Their approach centres around engineered “organiser” cells – specialised cells that can direct stem cell differentiation into specific tissues. Traditional organiser cells have limitations in their ability to apply complex growth programs.
Wendell Lim, PhD, a professor at UCSF, and Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, executive vice dean at Cedars-Sinai, developed synthetic “organizer” cells capable of sending customized growth signals to stem cells. By manipulating the placement and signalling patterns of these organiser cells, they can control gene expression in stem cells, coaxing them to build rudimentary cell structures.