# A pluripotent stem cell atlas of multilineage differentiation

## TL;DR

This paper creates a detailed map of how stem cells differentiate into various cell types, offering insights for medical research and drug development.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of multilineage differentiation from pluripotent stem cells.

## Key findings

- A dataset of over 60,000 cells was generated spanning differentiation across all germ layers.
- The atlas serves as a benchmark for in vivo development and aids in understanding signaling regulation of differentiation.

## Abstract

Human pluripotent stem cells offer a scalable platform to study genetic and signalling mechanisms governing cell lineage decisions during differentiation. Genome-wide and single-cell transcriptomics technologies likewise offer high-throughput analysis of heterogeneous cell differentiation states. While in vivo development has been extensively characterised using these technologies, there remains a need for comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic profiling of stem cell differentiation from pluripotency. Understanding gene expression changes governing differentiation in vitro is key to developing high fidelity differentiation protocols and understanding fundamental mechanisms of development. We generated a single-cell RNA sequencing time course to study the role of developmental signalling pathways on multilineage diversification from pluripotency in vitro. The combined dataset of over 60,000 cells spans cell types from a time course of differentiation across all germ layers, ranging from gastrulation cell states to progenitor and committed cell types. These data provide a diverse benchmarking reference point to compare against in vivo development and advance understanding of signalling regulation of differentiation, providing insights into protocol development, drug screening, and regenerative medicine applications.