Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (815 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A highly vascularized extra-embryonic membrane, formed by the fusion of the chorion and the allantois. It is mostly found in birds and reptiles. It serves as a model for studying tumor or cell biology, such as angiogenesis and tissue transplantation.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Chorioallantoic Membranes; Membrane, Chorioallantoic; Membranes, Chorioallantoic.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Extraembryonic Membranes; Embryo, Nonmammalian
- See also
- Allantois; Chorion
Related concepts
- Chorion
- Allantois
- Birds
- Reptiles
- Tissue Transplantation
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 2,194 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Chorioallantoic Membrane” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 518 of them (23.6%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 1,070 records.
Reviews account for 84 records (3.8%) and meta-analyses for 2. Randomized controlled trials number 3 (0.1%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 164 |
| 2000-2009 | 442 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,070 |
| 2020 onward | 518 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 84 | 3.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 2 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 3 | 0.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Chorioallantoic Membrane"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Chick chorioallantoic membrane assay as an in vivo model to study the effect of nanoparticle-based anticancer drugs in ovarian cancer [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- New therapy development is critically needed for ovarian cancer.
- Closing excerpt
- These results point to the remarkable efficacy of our nanoparticle based drug delivery system and suggests the value of the chicken egg tumor model for testing novel therapies for ovarian cancer.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (199 words)
New therapy development is critically needed for ovarian cancer. We used the chicken egg CAM assay to evaluate efficacy of anticancer drug delivery using recently developed biodegradable PMO (periodic mesoporous organosilica) nanoparticles. Human ovarian cancer cells were transplanted onto the CAM membrane of fertilized eggs, resulting in rapid tumor formation. The tumor closely resembles cancer patient tumor and contains extracellular matrix as well as stromal cells and extensive vasculature. PMO nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin were injected intravenously into the chicken egg resulting in elimination of the tumor. No significant damage to various organs in the chicken embryo occurred. In contrast, injection of free doxorubicin caused widespread organ damage, even when less amount was administered. The lack of toxic effect of nanoparticle loaded doxorubicin was associated with specific delivery of doxorubicin to the tumor. Furthermore, we observed excellent tumor accumulation of the nanoparticles. Lastly, a tumor could be established in the egg using tumor samples from ovarian cancer patients and that our nanoparticles were effective in eliminating the tumor. These results point to the remarkable efficacy of our nanoparticle based drug delivery system and suggests the value of the chicken egg tumor model for testing novel therapies for ovarian cancer.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 29867159 · DOI · PMC5986798
The Chicken Embryo Model: A Novel and Relevant Model for Immune-Based Studies [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Dysregulation of the immune system is associated with many pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
- Closing excerpt
- In conclusion, we expect that this review will help future studies better tailor their use of the chicken embryo model for testing specific experimental hypotheses or performing preclinical testing.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (179 words)
Dysregulation of the immune system is associated with many pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. To date, the most commonly used models in biomedical research are rodents, and despite the various advantages they offer, their use also raises numerous drawbacks. Recently, another in vivo model, the chicken embryo and its chorioallantoic membrane, has re-emerged for various applications. This model has many benefits compared to other classical models, as it is cost-effective, time-efficient, and easier to use. In this review, we explain how the chicken embryo can be used as a model for immune-based studies, as it gradually develops an embryonic immune system, yet which is functionally similar to humans'. We mainly aim to describe the avian immune system, highlighting the differences and similarities with the human immune system, including the repertoire of lymphoid tissues, immune cells, and other key features. We also describe the general in ovo immune ontogeny. In conclusion, we expect that this review will help future studies better tailor their use of the chicken embryo model for testing specific experimental hypotheses or performing preclinical testing.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34868080 · DOI · PMC8640176
The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay for the study of human bone regeneration: a refinement animal model for tissue engineering [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Biomaterial development for tissue engineering applications is rapidly increasing but necessitates efficacy and safety testing prior to clinical application.
- Closing excerpt
- This human-avian system offers a simple refinement model for animal research and a step towards a humanized in vivo model for tissue engineering.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (207 words)
Biomaterial development for tissue engineering applications is rapidly increasing but necessitates efficacy and safety testing prior to clinical application. Current in vitro and in vivo models hold a number of limitations, including expense, lack of correlation between animal models and human outcomes and the need to perform invasive procedures on animals; hence requiring new predictive screening methods. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) can be used as a bioreactor to culture and study the regeneration of human living bone. We extracted bone cylinders from human femoral heads, simulated an injury using a drill-hole defect, and implanted the bone on CAM or in vitro control-culture. Micro-computed tomography (μCT) was used to quantify the magnitude and location of bone volume changes followed by histological analyses to assess bone repair. CAM blood vessels were observed to infiltrate the human bone cylinder and maintain human cell viability. Histological evaluation revealed extensive extracellular matrix deposition in proximity to endochondral condensations (Sox9+) on the CAM-implanted bone cylinders, correlating with a significant increase in bone volume by μCT analysis (p < 0.01). This human-avian system offers a simple refinement model for animal research and a step towards a humanized in vivo model for tissue engineering.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 27577960 · DOI · PMC5006015
A Novel Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Setup to Investigate Angiogenic Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a well-known biophysical therapy that offers several beneficial effects, including a presumed increase in the growth of blood vessels.
- Closing excerpt
- This new experimental setup paves the way for future research into the angiogenic effects of ESWT and provides a multifaceted model as an intermediate step between in vitro mechanistic studies and clinical translation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (230 words)
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a well-known biophysical therapy that offers several beneficial effects, including a presumed increase in the growth of blood vessels. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay is a well-established in vivo model for studying angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to develop an experimental setup to apply ESWT to CAM in a three-step process and investigate the vascular response. First, we conducted virtual simulations of various shock-wave application setups to CAM and subsequently tested them in preliminary studies to evaluate their feasibility. In the final stage, we employed the most suitable protocol to investigate the angiogenic effects of shock wave therapy in practical applications. Our findings suggest that ESWT increases the number of vessels in CAM. In the final biological experiment (n = 16 CAM per group), ESWT increased vessel number by approximately 14.3% (p = 0.050) and branching points by approximately 13.5% (p = 0.070), while mean vessel thickness decreased by approximately 8.0% (p = 0.047); total vascular area per image remained unchanged (p = 0.760). These effects were concentrated in short-to-medium, thinner-caliber vessels rather than reflecting a uniform increase in vascularity, consistent with the emergence of a denser microvascular network. This new experimental setup paves the way for future research into the angiogenic effects of ESWT and provides a multifaceted model as an intermediate step between in vitro mechanistic studies and clinical translation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42645199 · DOI · PMC13511255
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Angiogenesis in tissue engineering: breathing life into constructed tissue substitutes [5]
- Research article The chicken chorioallantoic membrane model in biology, medicine and bioengineering [6]
- Research article The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). A multifaceted experimental model [7]
- Research article The chick embryo and its chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) for the in vivo evaluation of drug delivery systems [8]
- Research article Chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane model systems to study and visualize human tumor cell metastasis [9]
- Research article The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane as a model for tumor biology [10]
References
- Vu BT, Shahin SA, Croissant J, Fatieiev Y, Matsumoto K, Le-Hoang Doan T, et al.. Chick chorioallantoic membrane assay as an in vivo model to study the effect of nanoparticle-based anticancer drugs in ovarian cancer. . 2018. PMID 29867159 · DOI · PMC5986798
- Garcia P, Wang Y, Viallet J, Macek Jilkova Z. The Chicken Embryo Model: A Novel and Relevant Model for Immune-Based Studies. . 2021. PMID 34868080 · DOI · PMC8640176
- Moreno-Jiménez I, Hulsart-Billstrom G, Lanham SA, Janeczek AA, Kontouli N, Kanczler JM, et al.. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay for the study of human bone regeneration: a refinement animal model for tissue engineering. . 2016. PMID 27577960 · DOI · PMC5006015
- Faihs L, Flatscher J, Slezak C, Firouz B, Ghaffari Tabrizi-Wizsy N, Schicho K, et al.. A Novel Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Setup to Investigate Angiogenic Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT). . 2026. PMID 42645199 · DOI · PMC13511255
- Laschke MW, Harder Y, Amon M, Martin I, Farhadi J, Ring A, et al.. Angiogenesis in tissue engineering: breathing life into constructed tissue substitutes. Tissue Eng. 2006. PMID 16968151 · DOI
- Nowak-Sliwinska P, Segura T, Iruela-Arispe ML. The chicken chorioallantoic membrane model in biology, medicine and bioengineering. Angiogenesis. 2014. PMID 25138280 · DOI · PMC4583126
- Ribatti D. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). A multifaceted experimental model. Mech Dev. 2016. PMID 27178379 · DOI
- Vargas A, Zeisser-Labouèbe M, Lange N, Gurny R, Delie F. The chick embryo and its chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) for the in vivo evaluation of drug delivery systems. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2007. PMID 17870202 · DOI
- Deryugina EI, Quigley JP. Chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane model systems to study and visualize human tumor cell metastasis. Histochem Cell Biol. 2008. PMID 19005674 · DOI · PMC2699943
- Ribatti D. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane as a model for tumor biology. Exp Cell Res. 2014. PMID 24972385 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.