Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz is a Bren Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Over the past 25 years, the Zernicka-Goetz Lab has pioneered key discoveries in early mammalian development, including the first studies of post-implantation human embryo development in vitro, insights into the origins of cell fate specification in mouse and human embryos, and the creation of the first stem cell-derived embryo models using multiple stem cell types. By uncovering fundamental principles that regulate cell identity, pluripotency, and self-organization, the lab continues to advance our understanding of embryo development with broad implications for fertility, regenerative medicine, and stem cell biology.
We aim to understand mechanisms by which cells establish their identity, gain and lose pluripotency and how it relates to embryo shape and size, plasticity and self-organization. To address these questions we study mouse and human embryos and build embryo models from multiple stem cell types in vitro.
Mouse & Human Embryos
Self-Organization of Stem Cells into Embryos in vitro
Developmental Clock
Controlling Size & Shape
Cell Competition
CIRM DISC0 Award
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) recently awarded our lab a $2.8 million grant, in partnership with the Terasaki Institute. This funding supports the use of stem cell-derived embryo models for high-throughput research, with the goal of identifying the factors that control early human development. The CIRM Discovery Stage Research (DISC0) grant reflects CIRM’s mission to accelerate world-class regenerative medicine research and its translation into transformative health solutions for patients.
Recent Publications
August 28, 2025
Efficient stem cell-derived mouse embryo models for environmental studies
Developmental Cell
July 22, 2025
Basement membrane perforations guide anterior–posterior axis formation
Nature Communications
July 15, 2025
Atlas of amnion development during the first trimester of human pregnancy
Nature Cell Biology
February 19, 2025
AI-based approach to dissect the variability of mouse stem cell-derived embryo models
Nature Communications
January 17, 2025
Primitive to visceral endoderm maturation is essential for mouse epiblast survival beyond implantation
iScience
September 11, 2024
Assembly of a stem cell-derived human postimplantation embryo model
Nature Protocols
December 18, 2023
Assembly of complete mouse embryo models from embryonic and induced stem cell types in vitro.
Nat Protoc.
September 13, 2022
Stem cell-derived synthetic embryos self-assemble by exploiting cadherin codes and cortical tension
Nature Cell Biology
Our lab conducts research at the California Institute of Technology, building on our previous work at the University of Cambridge. In addition to Caltech, we are currently supported by these generous funders.
The Art of the Science
A selection of the images acquired in our lab to demonstrate the beauty of science.
Read The Dance of Life
The Dance of Life will take you inside the incredible world of life just as it begins. It reveals the wonder of the earliest and most profound moments of early life; how we become human. Through Magda’s trailblazing research as a professor at Cambridge, you’ll learn how early life starts to take shape and discover the true beauty of life’s beginnings.