- Versatility: Tissues from healthy, COPD, and asthma donors, as well as animal lungs, can be obtained.
- Culture Viability: Slices remain viable in culture for up to 7 days, ensuring sufficient time for testing and data collection.
- Reproducibility: Precision-cut tissue sections of uniform thickness are created, allowing for consistent results and robust analysis.
- High Throughput: Dozens of slices can be created from each donor or animal lung, providing a cost-effective solution for large-scale studies.
Assay Endpoints
The PCLS assay offers a wide range of endpoints, including:
- Biomarker Release: Assess the effect of test compounds on the release of cytokines, chemokines, and other biomarkers.
- Structural Integrity: Evaluate the maintenance of tissue architecture and extracellular matrix interactions using histology and imaging techniques.
- Tissue Viability: Analyze tissue health and metabolic activity, including MTT turnover.
- Inflammatory Response: Measure the impact of test compounds on inflammatory processes within lung tissue.
Figure 1: Diagram of Experimental PCLS Set Up
Benefits of Human Fresh Tissues
Human tissues used in PCLS assays retain normal cell populations, cell-cell interactions, and the extracellular matrix, providing a phenotypically accurate model that reflects true human biology. REPROCELL (formerly Biopta) ensures the use of ethically sourced, fresh human tissues, which are procured in accordance with the highest standards for compliance and quality. This approach de-risks development projects by generating more reliable, clinically relevant data that adds commercial value to drug discovery and safety assessment efforts.
Customizable Protocols
REPROCELL’s PCLS assays can be accessed via our contract research services, delivered by our expert scientists.
REPROCELL works closely with clients to design customized PCLS protocols that meet specific research needs, including opportunities to test your compound in human conducting airways, whether in disease modeling, calcium signaling studies, or early-stage allergic and viral infection responses.
