Summary of the science
Cells can aggregate together to become a larger, more complex system known as a tissue. Cells begin the same but need to become different cell types for the tissue to function properly as different roles need to be fulfilled, like how a working society needs doctors, service workers, food producers, etc to operate efficiently. The Liberali lab investigates how these cells specialise and what cellular properties and external conditions contribute to this process.
Gastruloids are balls of cells that are used in research to mimic embryo development. They are grown from a selection of mouse embryonic stem cells and over time, they develop into three-dimensional structures that closely resemble various aspects of early mammalian development.
About the research
The Liberali Lab studies how stem cells self-organise into more complex structures. One area of research they are pursuing is in the breakage of symmetry and they use gastruloids (embryonic organoids) as their model system. During the development of a tissue, cells will initially be identical to each other. However, after differentiation into different cell types, cells become different, introducing asymmetry to the tissue, both in terms of structure and function. The lab aims to understand what mechanisms cause this symmetry breaking and how cells differentiate into one form instead of another.
About the illustration
The main point of the research is symmetry, so we sought to create a design that would work well across a clear plane of symmetry. As gastruloids are the system used, they constituted the main unit of the pattern and by creating different illustrations at different stages of development this created enough variation for an aesthetically-pleasing pattern design.