eLife Assessment
This is a fundamental study into human spinal neurulation, which substantially advances our understanding of human neural tube closure. Crucial unanswered questions in the field currently rely on model systems, not faithful to human development. The evidence provided is compelling, with a large number of specimens and the rigorous use of state-of-the-art methodology providing robustness. The work will be of broad interest to developmental biologists, embryologists, and medical professionals working on neural tube defects, and will act as a precious reference resource for future studies.