Kidney development and induction of tubulogenesis have been studied for almost seven decades. The experimental setup of metanephric mesenchyme induction ex vivo allows to control the environment, to perform cellular manipulations, and to learn about renal development. Since the establishment of the ex vivo kidney culture technique in 1953, the method was modified to suit well the progress in biological and medical fields and still today present many advantages over the traditional in vivo studies.
Keywords: BIO; LiCl; Metanephric mesenchyme induction; Nephrogenesis; Spinal cord; Tubulogenesis; Ureteric bud.