Developmental Biology

Yun Xia presents macrophage–kidney assembloids that address missing immune and vascular components in stem-cell organoids. Directed differentiation, self-organization, genetic perturbation, xenotransplantation and single-cell analysis reveal immune–epithelial interactions. Macrophages from the same parental cells acquire resident phenotypes; diabetic and polycystic kidney models show context-dependent effects on inflammation, epithelial injury and disease progression. Minoru Takasato addresses kidney organoids’ missing urinary outflow by generating bladder tissue from human pluripotent cells. Stepwise differentiation passes through endoderm, hindgut and cloaca; FGF4 posteriorization and growth-factor screening promote urothelial identity. The resulting sacs contain stratified urothelial cell types, stretch and form a barrier, supporting developmental, disease and future therapeutic studies. Online via Zoom. Tuesday 13 October, 11:00–12:30 SGT (Asia/Singapore). Both talks share this session; individual start times are unspecified. Register through the organizer page. Professional, trainee or student status in stem cells, regenerative medicine or an adjacent field is required; organizer approval and recording restrictions apply.

Vertebrate embryos form repeated body-axis segments, yet the segmentation-clock period does not always match the timing of somite formation. Real-time clock imaging combined with pharmacological and surgical perturbations identifies two timers: a clock that establishes an initial commitment and a subsequent self-organizing hourglass process. Hourglass duration scales with somite size and depends on cytoskeletal regulation. Changing this timer can turn regular zebrafish segmentation into irregular patterns resembling the anterior chicken embryo and alter the number of predetermined compartments and somite sizes. The findings separate commitment from segmentation as interacting modules. QLS–CAMBAM hybrid seminar with Ertuğrul M. Özbudak (Northwestern University), 2026-10-20, 12:00–13:00 Montréal time. Attend in person at 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189, McGill University, or follow the public Zoom link on the official event page. Open to the university community, including faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

This Lake Conference is a 3.5-day forum on comparative and evolutionary approaches to nervous-system function. The program includes invited and selected talks, poster sessions, comparative genomics and genetics, evolutionary and developmental mechanisms, and evolutionary neuroscience systems biology.

Annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research at the Moscone West Convention Center, San Francisco, recognizing 25 years of discovery, collaboration, and progress in stem cell science.

Postdoctoral research with Stefanie Grosswendt’s group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany. The laboratory investigates how neighbouring cells communicate and how these interactions influence gene regulation, cell fate and tissue function. Experimental and computational approaches combine single-cell genomics, CellMate-seq ligand–receptor measurements and imaging-based spatial transcriptomics. Projects examine neural crest development in mouse embryos and neuroblastoma, with complex in-vitro systems and bottom-up reconstruction used to connect communication patterns with their consequences. The group is recruiting postdocs with experimental or computational expertise, or both, for the September 2026 Max Planck Postdoc Program. The programme guarantees a contract of at least three years. Apply through the official programme portal by 13 October 2026 at 12:00 Europe/Berlin (CEST). An account is required; the Apply action appears after registration. Upload a CV including publications, previous-research summary, statement of interest, academic transcript and contact details for three referees.

Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers can seek up to GBP 3,000 for a research visit to another laboratory. Apply to the participating journal that best matches the work: Development, Journal of Cell Science or Journal of Experimental Biology. The next deadline is 23 October 2026 for travel after 7 December 2026. This recurring fellowship supports research collaboration; it is not a training-course bursary.

The BDR–RISE programme offers one or two appointments for collaborative research spanning at least two participating RIKEN laboratories. Areas include development, cell systems, brain organoids, neural stem cells, regeneration, AI biology and quantitative biology. Candidates propose the collaboration and must first confirm participation with prospective host and partner laboratory heads. Employment is initially annual and renewable for up to three years. Each project receives JPY 3 million per year through the host laboratories. Senior scientist, scientist and postdoctoral categories have distinct experience requirements; postdoctoral applicants must be within five years of their PhD or complete it before starting. Applications are due 30 November 2026, normally for an April or October 2027 start. Use the official upload form with the coordinated proposal and required documents.

Investigate connections between placental biology and fetal brain development in the Cruceanu laboratory. Work with human stem-cell and organoid models to study stress and pharmacological exposures, combining experimental preparation with imaging and molecular or single-cell analyses. This is a full-time fixed-term research assistant appointment. Apply through Varbi by 2 October 2026.

Vertebrate embryos form repeated body-axis segments, yet the segmentation-clock period does not always match the timing of somite formation. Real-time clock imaging combined with pharmacological and surgical perturbations identifies two timers: a clock that establishes an initial commitment and a subsequent self-organizing hourglass process. Hourglass duration scales with somite size and depends on cytoskeletal regulation. Changing this timer can turn regular zebrafish segmentation into irregular patterns resembling the anterior chicken embryo and alter the number of predetermined compartments and somite sizes. The findings separate commitment from segmentation as interacting modules. QLS–CAMBAM hybrid seminar with Ertuğrul M. Özbudak (Northwestern University), 2026-10-20, 12:00–13:00 Montréal time. Attend in person at 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189, McGill University, or follow the public Zoom link on the official event page. Open to the university community, including faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

Investigate connections between placental biology and fetal brain development in the Cruceanu laboratory. Work with human stem-cell and organoid models to study stress and pharmacological exposures, combining experimental preparation with imaging and molecular or single-cell analyses. This is a full-time fixed-term research assistant appointment. Apply through Varbi by 2 October 2026.

Mariana Wolfner presents research on the molecular changes in eggs, sperm, and females that coordinate successful reproduction, drawing on genetic and physiological studies of fertilization. This NIH Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series event is offered in person and through NIH VideoCast.

This English-language webinar examines advances in organoid research, production, and drug discovery. Hideya Sakaguchi covers the developmental-biology origins of neural organoid research and its potential for drug discovery, followed by a keynote from Thomas Mitchell of The Organoid Company and a live question session.