News & Views in Nature

Posted on by Thor Theunissen

Kong and Thor wrote a News & Views in Nature on a groundbreaking stem-cell-based monkey embryo model that offers a continuous window on early primate development, from the pre-implantation stage all the way to late gastrulation, when the basic body plan is established and primitive organs start to form. This system offers a powerful in vitro platform for dissecting the dynamic, stepwise processes that define early embryogenesis.

Congratulations to Zhen Liu and colleagues at the Institute of Neuroscience (ION), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai for their remarkable achievement.

Take a look at our News & Views using the following link: bit.ly/4iGpuj6.

The original study from Zhen Liu”s lab: bit.ly/4pMt8Kl

Welcoming our new summer student: Jane Liu

Posted on by Thor Theunissen


Jinyu (or Jane) joined the lab as a summer intern in 2025. She is an undergraduate studying biology at the University of Oxford, where she will be doing her master’s research project in Dr. Berta Verd’s lab, studying the role of maternal factors in somitogenesis in cichlids. She has also done an internship in Professor Andrew Ward’s lab at the University of Bath studying the role of the maternally imprinted gene Grb10 in mouse embryonic development. Jane is motivated to join the Theunissen lab by her interest in stem cell models of human development. She has two dogs and five cats at home, loves playing badminton, watching anime, and drawing. 

Welcome to the lab, Jane!

Welcoming our new summer student: Chaoyi Cheng

Posted on by Thor Theunissen

Chaoyi joined our lab as a summer intern in June 2025. He is currently an undergraduate majoring in biological science at Peking University, where he conducts research on the molecular mechanisms underlying autism-related neurodevelopmental disorders using mouse and Drosophila models. Motivated by a desire to deepen his understanding of early human development, Chaoyi joined the Theunissen lab focusing on generation of stem-cell-based embryo models. In his free time, Chaoyi is a badminton player.