The use of tissue cultures as a research tool to investigate the pathophysiologic bases of diseases has become essential in the current age of molecular biomedical research. Although it will always be necessary to translate and validate the observations seen in vitro to the patient or animal, the ability to investigate the role(s) of individual variables free from confounders is paramount toward increasing our understanding of the physiology of the lung and the role of its cellular components in disease. Additionally, it is not feasible to conduct certain research in humans because of ethical constraints, yet investigators may still be interested in the physiologic response in human tissues; in vitro characterization of human tissue is an acceptable choice.
Tissue Culture Models