Micropatterned differentiation of mouse pluripotent stem cells gives rise to regionally distinct cell types arising in embryos at gastrulation.

Micropatterned differentiation of human ESCs generates gastrulation cell types – germ layers, extraembryonic, and primordial germ cells with primate characteristics – that show conserved sorting behaviors when dissociated and reseeded as single-cell mixture.

Highly reproducible and efficient human primordial germ cell differentiation was achieved through geometric confinement, which enabled quantitative dissection of the cell signaling driving this differentiation, revealing a major role of Wnt signaling is indirect by inducing Nodal signaling.

A bioengineering approach identifies tissue morphology as an effective variable for controlling the inception of neural organoid morphogenesis via induction of a biomimetic, singular neural rosette tissue cytoarchitecture.

A generally applicable two-hybrid assay demonstrates that MHC class I heavy chains devoid of beta-2 microglobulin associate within and across allotypes, with implications for endocytosis and autoimmunity.

Combining micropatterning, traction force microscopy, and optogenetics, it is shown that epithelial cells actively respond to mechanical signals from neighboring cells.

The mechanical response of adherent cells in structured environments is shown to be shaped by the intricate interplay between the three different isoforms of an essential molecular motor.

Live cell imaging demonstrates that the dynamics of ligand presentation influence signaling through two closely related morphogen signaling pathways in dramatically different ways.