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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
Published on: October 12, 2018
Histoculture and Infection with HIV of Functional Human Lymphoid Tissue on Gelfoam®
Andrea Introini1, Wendy Fitzgerald2, Christophe Vanpouille2
1Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Gelfoam® histoculture provides a valuable tool for experimental studies of normal and pathological tissue physiology. It allows us to understand cell-cell interactions by mirroring their original spatial relationship within body tissues. Gelfoam® histoculture can be employed to model host-pathogen interactions mimicking in vivo conditions in vitro. In the present chapter, we describe a protocol to process and infect lymphoid tissue explants with HIV and maintain them in Gelfoam® histoculture at the liquid-air interface. The Gelfoam® histocultures with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1-infected tissues have been used to further understand the biology of early HIV-1 pathogenesis, as well as a novel ex vivo platform to test the efficacy and toxicity of antiviral drugs.
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