At the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, the Work Group of Histology and Embryology covers the research and teaching areas dealing with the morphology and development of various animal species.

Morphology can be understood as the study of the form and structure of organisms. By means of special preparation methods, the cellular components of different tissue types may be visualized under a microscope and studied. Hereby, various staining techniques enable the localization of specific molecules (proteins) in individual cell compartments. These techniques represent an important link to molecular biology. In order to test the behaviour of cells under experimental conditions and be able to more precisely define the function of specific molecules, our Institute has a plethora of established cell culture systems. In addition to customary two-dimensional cell cultures, a variety of three-dimensional cell culture system models were developed at our Institute, which simulate the natural environment of cells and thus reproduce “life-like” conditions in the laboratory.

The methods employed and taught at our Institute range from macroscopic anatomy to light and electron microscopy all the way to molecular biology. In addition to qualitative, descriptive methods, our Institute also offers quantitative morphology.