Great ape organoids to reconstruct uniquely human development
| Title | Great ape organoids to reconstruct uniquely human development |
|---|---|
| Acronym | ANTHROPOID |
| Website | https://www.graycamplab.org/ |
| Start date | 2019-01-01 |
| End date | 2024-01-01 |
| Sponsor | Horizon Europe Framework Programme |
| Institution | University of Basel |
Associated cell lines
- WTSIi013-A (HPSI0214i-kucg_2)
- WTSIi026-A (HPSI0314i-hoik_1)
- WTSIi046-A (HPSI0214i-wibj_2)
- WTSIi073-A (HPSI0314i-sojd_3)
Project Description
Humans diverged from our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and other great apes, 6-10 million years ago. Since this divergence, our ancestors acquired genetic changes that enhanced cognition, altered metabolism, and endowed our species with an adaptive capacity to colonize the entire planet and reshape the biosphere. Through genome comparisons between modern humans, Neandertals, chimpanzees and other apes we have identified genetic changes that likely contribute to innovations in human metabolic and cognitive physiology. However, it has been difficult to assess the functional effects of these genetic changes due to the lack of cell culture systems that recapitulate great ape organ complexity. Human and chimpanzee pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can self-organize into three-dimensional (3D) tissues that recapitulate morphological, functional, and genetic aspects of organ development. Our vision is to use organoids to study the changes that set modern humans apart from our closest evolutionary relatives as well as all other organisms on the planet.