EMBO Practical Course: Techniques for Mammary Gland Research

The mammary epithelium is a unique organ in that the majority of its development occurs postnatally. This, combined with ease of experimental access and a stereotypical growth pattern, make it an ideal tissue for studying cellular homeostasis, branching morphogenesis, hormonal effects, stem cell biology and breast cancer. This theoretical and practical course will present techniques for the dissection and dissociation of different subpopulations of both mouse and human mammary, including stem/progenitor, cells. It will also include flow cytometry to separate single cell populations for the consequent in vitro (mammosphere and 3D cultures) and in vivo (mouse mammary fat-pad clearing and cell transplantation) analysis to assess stem cell activity and gene function.