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Updated: Sep 26, 2025

Human Placental and Decidual Organ Cultures to Study Infections at the Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: July 21, 2016
Generation of precision-cut slice cultures of human placenta
Amal Fahmi1,2,3, Melanie Brügger1,2, Beatrice Zumkehr1,2
1Institute of Virology and Immunology, Bern, Switzerland.
Abstract:
We present a protocol to generate an advanced ex vivo model of human placenta. We use a vibrating tissue slicer to obtain precision-cut slices representative of the entire thickness of human placenta. This approach delivers standardized cultures with a preserved microstructure and cellular composition comparable to the native tissue. We applied this system to study SARS-CoV-2 infection at the maternal-fetal interface. Moreover, this system can be used to investigate the basic functions of the human placenta in health and disease. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Fahmi et al. (2021).

