Tissue Plate: A New Technique for Long-Term Organotypic Culture

A technique is described in which kidneys of 14- and 18-day-old fetal chicks, or hatched chicks, are dissociated either partially or totally into individual cells. In either case the cells are sedimented and subsequently cultured on a three-dimensional substrate. This approach leads to formation of gigantic aggregates, "tissue plates," which undergo excellent histogenesis and remain differentiated for several weeks. Eventually an increase in connective tissue occurs; however, organ specific structures persist in the tissue plates even after 6 weeks of cultivation.