Cell culture

When we think about the building blocks of life, our minds often jump to cells, DNA, and proteins. However, lurking in the spaces between cells is an equally crucial component that often goes unnoticed: the extracellular matrix (ECM). This unsung hero plays a pivotal role in maintaining the structure and function of tissues, influencing everything from wound healing to cancer progression.

The activity of a cell is organised by a range of structures, from large organelles to small protein complexes. Amongst these, each cell contains around 100,000 ellular vaults, or simply vaults. These are enigmatic mid-size symmetrical cellular ribonucleoprotein structures that play a role in the storage and transport of molecules within cells.

Animal cells grown in a cell culture conditions play a pivotal role in both research and biomanufacturing, serving as essential tools for scientific discovery and the production of complex biological products. Their use spans a wide range of applications, from basic biological research to the production of vaccines, therapeutic proteins and food.

Using bioreactors to generate seafood or meat is horrific or exciting, depending on your point of view. As with genetically modified food, attitudes differ markedly between countries.

During strenuous exercise, anaerobic conditions develop in our muscles as cells rapidly use oxygen. Muscle cells switch to an alternative metabolic pathway that releases lactic acid to cope with reduced oxygen levels. When lactic acid builds up, it can cause cramps. Similarly, media depth can dramatically impact oxygen levels in cell culture. Standardizing this variable, or agitation may help to improve data reproducibility and relevance in cell culture.

In autologous cell therapy, cells that originate in the patient are returned to the patient for therapeutic purposes. If we accept the obvious notion that human cells grow best in humans, the quicker cells can be re-implanted, the better. But many cells require complex, sustained manipulation to differentiate and mature into the cells required for therapeutic effect. Technologies that enable cells to differentiate and maturate autonomously in the patient following implant will enable this goal.

3Rs aims to reduce, refine and replace the use of animals in research. Matrigel and similar basement membrane extracts are widely used in cell culture as an extracellular scaffold support and also provide key matrix proteins. The sacrifice of mice to generate Matrigel is one of the biggest single uses of animals in research. A new method to culture mammary epithelial cell (MEC) organoids shows that Matrigel use can be dramatically reduced or even (at a cost) eliminated.

There has been an increasing move towards the use of 3D cell culture as a means of functional differentiation in recent years. Although 2D cell cultures have been useful in a lot of ways, research has shown that they can differ significantly from in vivo conditions making it difficult to replicate the findings in a clinical setting. This, along with the failure rate and relatively high cost of drug development, has meant there is now an urgent need to find more predictive research models across all fields.

Cell Guidance Systems today launches our primary liver-derived microsome products. These new products join our growing range of primary cell products launched last year.

2D Primary human hepatocyte cultures can suffer from rapid dedifferentiation and loss of liver-specific functions. The advent of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technologies, such as hepatocyte spheroids offered by Cell Guidance Systems has revolutionized the field.