Int. J. Dev. Biol. 41: 379 - 387 (1997)

Vol 41, Issue 2

Special Issue: Vertebrate Development in vitro

Early chick embryos in vitro

Published: 1 April 1997

C D Stern and R Bachvarova

Department of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. cds20@columbia.edu

Abstract

In 1955, Denis New described a technique for the in vitro culture of early avian embryos that has formed the basis for nearly all of the experimental embryological studies performed on these species since that day. Many modifications to this technique have also been described in these four decades for specific experimental purposes. Here, we review the effects of some parameters that appear to be important for different aspects of the growth of embryos in this type of culture, and conduct a small experimental comparison between different modifications of the technique as described by various authors. We conclude that the original technique still compares favorably with its alternatives.