Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS) is a rare genetic disorder resulting in babies born without a nose, along with eye and reproductive anomalies. Our guests today investigated the developmental basis of this distinct defect using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with BAMS. They assessed the differentiation potential of BAMS patient-derived iPSCs into cranial placode cells, a group of progenitor cells that contribute to the formation of the nasal epithelium. This allowed them to study the behavior of the nasal epithelial cells during early development. Their work uncovered cellular mechanisms underlying BAMS and provided new insights into the developmental processes that shape the human nose. 

Guests
Shifeng Xue is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She received her Ph.D. in developmental biology from the University of California, San Francisco, where she trained with Maria Barna, and then completed her postdoctoral research at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore. She is the recipient of the 2018 Young Scientist Award of the Singapore National Academy of Science.  

Vanitha Venkoba Rao worked as a Research Fellow at NUS from 2020 to 2025. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from NUS and subsequently held research positions at inStem and Pandorum Technologies in India, before joining the Xue lab.

Host
Janet Rossant, Editor-in-Chief, Stem Cell Reports 

Supporting Document
Cranial placode differentiation defect in individuals born without a nose, Stem Cell Reports, 2026

About Stem Cell Reports
Stem Cell Reports is the open access, peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians. X: @StemCellReports

About ISSCR
Across more than 80 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to advancing stem cell research and its translation to medicine.

ISSCR Staff
Keith Alm, Shuangshuang Du, Kym Kilbourne, Megan Koch, Jack Mosher, and Hunter Reed