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Cell Culture


Cell culture is the process of growing cells under controlled conditions outside their natural environment, typically in a laboratory. It allows scientists to study cell biology, physiology, genetics, and responses to drugs or treatments in a controlled setting.

Cell culture can involve primary cells (directly from tissues) or established cell lines (immortalized cells that can grow indefinitely).

Types of Cell Culture

  1. Primary Culture:

    • Cells are taken directly from tissues (animal or human).

    • Limited lifespan, sensitive, more physiologically relevant.

  2. Secondary Culture / Subculture:

    • Cells transferred from primary culture to new culture vessels.

  3. Continuous / Immortalized Cell Lines:

    • Cells modified to proliferate indefinitely.

    • Commonly used in research (e.g., HeLa, CHO, HEK293 cells).

  4. Suspension vs. Adherent Culture:

    • Adherent cells: grow attached to a surface (e.g., fibroblasts).

    • Suspension cells: grow floating in culture medium (e.g., lymphocytes, CHO cells).

Basic Requirements for Cell Culture

  1. Sterile Environment:

    • Performed in a biosafety cabinet to prevent contamination.

  2. Culture Medium:

    • Contains nutrients, salts, amino acids, vitamins, and sometimes serum (e.g., fetal bovine serum).

  3. Controlled Environment:

    • Temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels are carefully maintained (commonly 37°C and 5% CO₂ for mammalian cells).

  4. Plasticware & Vessels:

    • Flasks, dishes, or multiwell plates designed for cell growth.

Steps in Cell Culture

  1. Thawing or isolating cells from frozen stocks or tissues.

  2. Seeding cells into culture vessels with appropriate medium.

  3. Incubation under controlled conditions.

  4. Monitoring growth using a microscope.

  5. Subculturing / Passaging cells when they reach confluence.

  6. Cryopreservation for long-term storage.

Applications

  • Biomedical Research: Study cell biology, signaling, and physiology.

  • Drug Discovery & Toxicology: Test drug effects or toxicity on human/animal cells.

  • Cancer Research: Study tumor cell growth and therapies.

  • Recombinant Protein Production: CHO or HEK293 cells often used for producing antibodies or proteins.

  • Gene Editing & Gene Therapy Studies: CRISPR or viral transduction in cell lines.

Advantages

  • Controlled environment for reproducible experiments.

  • Can study cellular responses without using live animals.

  • Large-scale production of proteins or vaccines is possible.

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