Insights on Cell Culture

In an article in Lab Manager, Angelo DePalma reports The Case for Primary Cells

Primary cells have been a key part of life sciences research, and demand for these cells is at an all-time high.

For decades, immortalized cell lines have performed admirably in cell-based assays, biomanufacturing, and basic scientific work. “Let’s give them due credit,” says Daniel Schroen, PhD, a vice president at Cell Applications (San Diego, CA). “They are a mainstay.”

Primary cells have similarly been part of life sciences research, and demand for these cells is at an all-time high. Compared with immortalized cells, the key advantages of primary cells are their functional and genetic fidelity.

“The information derived from primary cells is closer to physiologic relevance because these cells lack the genetic changes that allow indefinite in vitro cultivation,” Schroen adds.

Primary cells present challenges, however. Their supply is limited, they are difficult to acquire and isolate, they are intolerant to all but very narrow culture conditions, and they don’t last long: Primary cells offer at most 15 to 20 passages, or doublings, before they die out, whereas immortalized cell lines go on forever. However, these issues are usually manageable with careful optimization of isolation and culture methods, media, and nutrient feeds.

Continue reading the article at Lab Manager.