"Claw Machine" Sorts Gastruloids for Faster Embryo Research

Gastruloids as models for human embryonic development

Human development is a complex process that starts with the fusion of two germ cells and continues through various stages until a fully developed organism emerges. Although studying human embryos in vitro is fraught with ethical and technical challenges, gastruloids – models created from human pluripotent stem cells – are proving to be an excellent alternative. These two-dimensional models simulate the third week of human development, known as gastrulation, when the three germ layers of the body are established.

Research published in APL Bioengineering by AIP Publishing highlights an innovative method developed by researchers from the University of Washington and the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine. This method automates the sorting of gastruloids, which are vital for studying early-stage human development.

New sorting system enhances gastruloid research

While gastruloids are useful for exploring developmental biology, manually sorting them remains a significant challenge. As Ian Jan, one of the study’s authors, points out, although researchers can grow hundreds of gastruloids at once, sorting and isolating individual models is time-consuming. The new system, however, addresses this limitation.

The sorting system integrates a microscope, camera, sorting stage, and devices designed to collect and release the microrafts upon which the gastruloids are grown. Custom software automates the sorting process, allowing researchers to focus on analyzing the models rather than handling them manually. This system is particularly useful for large-scale screenings and detailed studies on gastruloid variability.

Practical implications for disease modeling

The ability to sort gastruloids effectively has significant implications for studying genetic diseases. For example, gastruloids have been used to model Huntington’s disease, which can be detected within the first two weeks of embryo development. They have also been valuable for studying aneuploidy, a condition caused by abnormal chromosome numbers. Research has shown that gastruloids with aneuploid cells have a self-correction mechanism that provides insights into the resilience of early human development.

“Gastruloids offer a simple and reproducible system for probing early developmental processes,” Jan says. “With the automated sorting system, we can now isolate individual gastruloids and examine their heterogeneity in greater detail.”

Future plans for advanced sorting techniques

The current sorting system is poised for large-scale use, but the research team is working to further enhance the system by incorporating neural networks into the image analysis pipeline. This upgrade will help identify subtle differences between individual gastruloids and their developmental trajectories, providing deeper insights into human embryonic development.

Jan explains that understanding how individual gastruloids behave can reveal how human embryos develop, shedding light on the diversity of early human development. This could have broad implications for our understanding of genetic diseases, prenatal development, and early human biology.

Reference: Jan I, Cearlock A, Yang M, Allbritton NL. A claw machine-inspired system for sorting human gastruloids. APL Bioengineering. 2025. doi: 10.1063/5.0269550

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