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Regenerative Medicine

Organ recital in a dish

Nature volume 480, pages 44–46 (2011)Cite this article

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It is difficult to recapitulate organ development in vitro, especially when interactions between tissues are essential. Nonetheless, researchers have now achieved this for the pituitary gland. See Article p.57

Suga et al.1 report in vitro generation of a functional embryonic organ from mouse embryonic stem cells on page 57 of this issue. They have induced formation of Rathke's pouch — a precursor structure to the pituitary gland — from which hormone-secreting cells can be made to differentiate. This work is a notable advance towards studying pituitary development and for better management of pituitary-hormone deficits through regenerative medicine. It also illustrates that inductive processes — whereby tissues interact to form organs — can be triggered in a controlled and largely autonomous manner, which bodes well for the prospect of developing even more complex organs in the lab.

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  1. Karine Rizzoti and Robin Lovell-Badge are at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London NW7 1AA, UK.,

    Karine Rizzoti & Robin Lovell-Badge

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  1. Karine Rizzoti
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  2. Robin Lovell-Badge
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Correspondence to Robin Lovell-Badge.

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Rizzoti, K., Lovell-Badge, R. Organ recital in a dish. Nature 480, 44–46 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/480044a

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