Precision-Cut Lung Slice (PCLS)

A precision-cut lung slice (PCLS) is a thin (typically a few hundred micrometers), living section of lung tissue cut with a precision microtome and maintained in culture outside the body. Because it preserves the native three-dimensional architecture of the airway, alveolar, vascular, and immune compartments, PCLS allows researchers to perform live-cell imaging and to test drug or environmental exposures on intact lung tissue ex vivo, bridging the gap between simplified cell-culture systems and whole-animal experiments.