In-vitro models for wound healing, skin biology research and drug discovery

Monolayer (2-D) primary skin cell culture (fibroblasts, keratinocytes, melanocytes)

3-D primary skin cell culture (fibroblast-populated collagen lattices, cultured full thickness epidermis)

Cell co-culture (for direct cell-cell interaction studies)

Double-chamber cell co-culture (for paracrine interaction studies)

Organotypic co-culture model (cultured skin equivalents)

Organ culture (explant techniques)

Applications: These models can be used to study different facets of skin cell biology such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration and differentiation as well as epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, transitions and other cell-cell interactions.

In-vitro angiogenesis models (using endothelial cell culture and smooth muscle cell culture)

Monolayer (2-D) endothelial cell culture

3-D primary cell culture (endothelial cell-populated collagen lattices or Matrigel assay to study endothelial cell differentiation)

Monolayer co-culture (for direct cell-cell interaction studies)

Double-chamber co-culture (with smooth muscle cells or other cells for paracrine interaction studies)

Vascularised organotypic co-culture model (to study endothelial cell-fibroblast-keratinocyte interactions)

Organ culture (Nicosia’s technique)

Applications: These models can be used to study endothelial cell and angiogenetic biology, specifically proliferation, apoptosis, migration and differentiation as well as intercellular interactions and transitions.