Histocultures And Their Use

Histocultures were three-dimensional tissue cultures that maintained an in vivo-like phenotype, unlike monolayer cultures. They were used for various applications, including testing patient tumor sensitivity to drugs for personalized cancer treatment, as demonstrated by clinical trials using the histoculture drug response assay (HDRA). In the context of hair growth, histocultured skin was used to study hair growth and screen drugs affecting hair follicles, leading to the discovery of cancer liposomes targeting hair follicles for gene delivery. Additionally, histocultures of lymphoid organs were developed to study antibody production and viral effects on immune cells, while stem cell growth and differentiation were also explored using this method.