From genes to germ layers: virtual twins of gastruloids

Human gastrulation remains a black box due to ethical and technical reasons. Human pluripotent stem cell-based 2D micropatterns and 3D organoids (gastruloids) recapitulate aspects of human gastrulation. Understanding the integrated multiscale biology of gastrulation, however, remains elusive. We explain the barriers to recapitulating the multiscale biology of gastrulation in silico, how agent-driven multi-paradigm approach can overcome these challenges, provide relevant examples, and share best practices on developing the virtual twins.