# Signaling dynamics in the control of ectoderm patterning and morphogenesis

> **NIH NIH R35** · RICE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $380,995

## Abstract

Project Summary
Neurulation is a crucial stage in human development when the nervous system is patterned, and the neural tube
is shaped. A large fraction of severe birth defects as well as post-implantation spontaneous abortions occur at
this stage. Despite its importance, this stage of human development is almost completely inaccessible as IVF
embryos cannot be cultured until this point, and recovery of tissue samples from these early stages is rare. Even
if such methods were possible, they present ethical dilemmas. A powerful emerging alternative is to create self-
organizing models of these events starting from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). We have created a two-
dimensional system that mimics the early patterning of the ectodermal medial-lateral axis and is ideal for studying
self-organization of ectodermal fates which include the nervous system, skin, neural crest, and sensory organs.
We have also built upon this system to create a controlled three-dimensional system that undergoes reproducible
morphogenesis reminiscent of neural tube closure. Here we propose to refine these models, as well as to create
new models of the anterior-posterior axis, and to use these models together with live cell reporters to probe the
interplay between morphogen signaling through the Wnt, BMP, and FGF pathways, patterning along the anterior-
posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) axes, and neural tube morphogenesis. We will address key questions
about how spatial patterns of morphogen signals are organized and how they are interpreted by cells to give rise
to patterns of fates and the physical movements that shape tissues. Taken together, these experiments will
provide insight into ectodermal patterning and morphogenesis and establish a system for studying birth defects
associated with this stage of development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10821362
- **Project number:** 5R35GM149328-02
- **Recipient organization:** RICE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Aryeh Warmflash
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $380,995
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2028-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10821362

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10821362, Signaling dynamics in the control of ectoderm patterning and morphogenesis (5R35GM149328-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10821362. Licensed CC0.

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