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10 November 2026

Attachment Dependency

3D assemblies of embryonic stem cells known as gastruloids are studied in the lab as a model that can be manipulated to find out how body pattern takes shape. Here, research reveals how environmental signals such as attachment to different substrates brings about distinct patterns of development by eliciting distinct responses in the cells' inner protein scaffold or cytoskeleton

The video shows the cell divisions at the extending tip of a gastruloid attached to a substrate of laminin, an extracellular matrix protein

Read the published research article here

Written by Lindsey Goff

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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