Maintenance and/or culture of tissue slices in vitro or ex vivo

A method for maintaining and/or culturing tissue slices;

• comprising:
• (i) providing a tissue slice;
• (ii) providing a hydrogel comprising conjugated peptides;
• (iii) placing the tissue slice onto the hydrogel comprising conjugated peptides;
• and
• (iv) maintaining and/or culturing the tissue slice on the hydrogel using a culture medium,
• wherein the tissue slice is a tissue slice from a tumour,
• wherein step (iii) comprises placing the tissue slice on the hydrogel as
• crosslinking of the hydrogel takes place for achieving mechanical fixation of the tissue slice in the hydrogel, and
• wherein step (iv) comprises contacting the hydrogel with the culture medium, and
• wherein the hydrogel is substantially submerged with the culture medium and the tissue slice is partially submerged with the culture medium.