title: Laboratory models for studying ectopic pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Understanding the cause of tubal ectopic pregnancy (tEP) remains incomplete. We aim to summarize the latest advances in laboratory models of tEP that we believe will, ultimately, contribute to improving the diagnosis and management of the condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Progress in proteome prefractionation and multidimensional protein identification technology has proved particularly effective in identifying novel biomarkers of tEP. These, and related global proteomic and genomic approaches, have as yet to be fully exploited in this context but do have substantial potential to inform future hypothesis-driven studies. The majority of data generated since 2009 to explain the cause of tEP continues to derive from descriptive human ex-vivo studies. In-vitro models of fallopian tube ciliary and smooth muscle function have improved to a limited degree, on the back of continuing advances in imaging and data acquisition. We believe that the recent development of a primary human fallopian tube epithelium culture system represents the most significant recent advance in laboratory models for studying ectopic pregnancy. There remain no good animal models of tEP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The establishment of a viable animal model of tEP remains the key obstacle to a complete understanding of the cause of the condition.
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Jeremy K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Horne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D011247:Pregnancy; D011274:Pregnancy, Tubal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers