To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Wendy Duan @wendykduan.bsky.social and corresponding author Meghan Riddell @meghanriddell.bsky.social, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada:
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

And now that she has joined I can tag @wendykduan.bsky.social
And @sumaiyahshaha.bsky.social
and the rest of the lab for their incredible teamwork on this project.

Thanks to NSERC, @wchriuofa.bsky.social , @ualberta.bsky.social for their support

We also developed two different trophoblast villous lineage models for this work: a bioreactor trophoblast stem cell organoid model and a placental explant regeneration model

So check them out!

We asked whether we could quantify shape changes in placental cytotrophoblasts that are preparing to fuse and discovered they require microvilli to fuse.

Cytotrophoblasts develop cute little Bart Simpson heads along the way to fusion

Congratulations! Sorry to lose you but excited to see what your next chapter looks like.

Always so fun to get together! See you all soon

Congratulations Serge and team 🥳

Thank you!! Hope things are great with you!

Thanks Ruben!! Hopefully see you soon