BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Explants Explored

Lack of smooth muscle development to support artery growth currently limits kidney explants as organ models

14 August 2022

Explants Explored

Explants, tissues taken from organisms and grown in the laboratory, are useful research tools, but isolating them from a real circulatory system affects their behaviour. This is especially problematic for kidney explants, as circulation is critical for kidney function, filtering waste from blood. An ingenious solution involves using the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of a bird’s egg, responsible for gas exchange for the embryo inside: after cutting a small window into a chicken egg, explants are grafted onto the CAM, where they connect to its network of blood vessels. Yet examining the vascular system that develops in explants cultured this way (pictured, with kidney-specific structures in yellow and blue, and blood vessels in red) suggests this technique has limitations. Compared to natural kidneys, explants feature too many capillaries, the smallest vessels, and lack smooth muscle cells, which normally line and support arteries, differences that could have implications for researchers using explants.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.