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Assays
Human Precision-Cut Lung Slices
Precision-cut lung slices (PCLS), small, uniform tissue slices generated from animal or human lungs are increasingly recognized and employed as an ex vivo organotypic model. PCLS retain remarkable cellular complexity and the architecture of the lung, providing a platform to investigate respiratory pathogens in a near-native environment. hPCLS are created from donor tissues obtained in a clinical setting and are created and maintained at Lead Sciences using our custom hPCLS culture system. The tissue offers an advantage over other models since it contains all lung cell types present in the tissue at the time of slicing. Further, it retains the native architecture of the lung – including small airways and respiratory parenchyma. hPCLS have been maintained for many weeks and demonstrate changes not shown in other complex models of the lung.
Acute (including robust cytokine responses, loss of viability, etc.) and chronic (including increases in activated macrophage staining, collagen deposition, tissue remodeling) toxicities can be monitored following test material-exposures. hPCLS have also been used to show no effect level and to identify drug concentration-specific reversibility of inflammatory marker expression – a key element in understanding whether an insult to respiratory tissue may persist or resolve after test material removal. As many diseases such as fibrosis or COPD are believed to be driven by chronic inflammatory processes, the availability of a long term pulmonary model of human origin that harbors vital immune cells and can deliver a wealth of data is a welcome addition to Lead Sciences’s in vitro/ex vivo toolbox!
Following the procurement of research authorized lungs, they are locally filled with agarose, cut into segments, and sliced into 300-400-micron-thick sections. In a number of cases, the slices will be kept in an incubator before freezing and shipping. Lead Sciences now offers our cryo-preserved PCLS for purchase. Tissues are available in multiples of 6 with a 48 slice minimum. Currently, slices are available with a normal lung status, as well as donors who have had a diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Pulmonary arterial hypertension, and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Please contact info@lead-sciences.com for further information.
Recent advances at Lead Sciences include a modified slicer and the development of a cryopreservation buffer for hPCLS. Our cryo-hPCLS can be stored frozen, retain viability for weeks after thaw, and allow repeat testing using the same donor.
