A chick embryo cryoinjury model for the study of embryonic organ development and repair

Tissue ablation is a classic experimental approach to study early embryo patterning. However, ablation methods are less frequently used to assess the reparative or regenerative properties of embryonic tissues during organogenesis. Surgical procedures based on the removal of a significant amount of tissue during organ formation very much depend on the skills of the researcher, are difficult to reproduce, and often result in extensive tissue disruption leading to embryonic death. In this paper, we present a new protocol to generate discrete, locally-restricted and highly reproducible wounds in the developing chick embryo using a liquid N2-cooled metallic probe. This in ovo procedure allows for the study of organ-specific tissue responses to damage, such as compensatory cell growth, cell differentiation, and reparative/regenerative mechanisms throughout the embryonic lifespan.