Cell culture research is a routine practice in laboratories. It provides deep insights into cell biology and disease pathology. The underlying signaling pathways are much easier to elucidate with cells than with animal models. It has also enhanced the high-throughput screening of drugs, which reduces valuable time and money. It is a simple and effective tool that alleviates the need for animal studies. Its contribution to drug discovery and development cannot be undermined. It has paved the way for research at genetic levels, increasing our knowledge of genetic disorders and their regulators.
Cell Culture Research
Cell culture describes the technique or process of growing cells in an artificial environment. A laboratory provides this environment and controls various parameters such as temperature, humidity, levels of gases, pH, etc. The cellular sources can be microbial, human, animal, or plant. This article refers to human and animal cells when discussing cell culture.
The cell culture research began with the landmark achievement of Ross G. Harrison. He grew frog embryonic nerve fibers in lymph-based media in a laboratory in 1907, marking a turning point in biomedical research. Since then, many animal and human cells have been cultivated in a laboratory, establishing a distinct field of what we now call in vitro research. It differs from the in vivo research, which involves animal models.
Primary vs Secondary Sources
As the in vitro research grew, so did the different kinds of culture media. Each media has to be optimal for the growth of a particular cell type. Soon, in vitro culture witnessed another milestone with the extraction of HeLa cancer cells from a cervical cancer patient. They showed unlimited proliferation. These were distinct from those obtained from tissue, showing a limited number of cell divisions. It considerably eased the culture process. It encouraged the formation of cell lines with indefinite life span by transforming primary cells via different methods. Therefore, different kinds of cells emerged, varying in their utility. Further, distinction rose with their sources:
Primary Sources: They refer to tissues from which primary and cancer cells are derived. Both of them have tissue-specific properties and heterogeneity that promote relevant scientific exploration.
Secondary Sources: These are isolated cells which are immortalized into cell lines in a lab. They are the most homogenous cell population among all the others.
Cancer cells and cell lines are used interchangeably in the in vitro research. However, as the research expands our knowledge, the differences between the two are becoming apparent.
Custom Cell Isolation
With the in vitro research deepening our understanding, the value of tissue-specific cells is realized. Each cell type exhibits unique properties when present in different tissues. It adapts to the tissue structure and functions, displaying variation in the genome and proteome. Furthermore, research is moving toward customization due to the creation of disease-specific animal models and the influence of attributes like age, gender, etc. on study results.
It is paving the way for custom cell isolation and culture for cell populations that are distinct in terms of tissues, animal models, and donor characteristics. It encourages precision research by offering reliable and accurate results for tissue and donor profiles.
Applications of Custom Cells
Drug Safety: Evaluating drug safety in vitro provides an affordable and cheap platform. However, customization offers more efficiency. For example, hepatocytes have been the in vitro models for assessing drug safety. But the recent findings revealed the toxicity of presumably safe drugs to other tissues. Therefore, tissue-based custom cells are opted nowadays to acquire a comprehensive safety profile.
Drug Discovery: Custom cells also enhance tissue-based drug discovery. For example, human umbilical cord endothelial cells were the in vitro models for vascular research. However, the observation of tissue-specific differences has promoted the inclusion of other tissue endothelial cells.
Drug Efficacy: The effectiveness of drugs was previously assessed on cells without specificity to tissues and donors. However, the response of a drug in humans have demonstrated considerable variation and showed suitability for a subpopulation sharing key features. Custom cell culture can provide information for suitability on specific population cohorts, lowering the cost and time for initial clinical studies and accelerating drug discovery.
Personalized Medicine: The variation to drug response in individuals have driven the rise of personalized medicine. It is gradually integrating itself into the mainstream treatment. The process entails the extraction of tissue specific cells from patients and evaluating the drug efficacy on them. The results aid in strategizing the treatment plan to yield maximum benefits to patients.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell Therapy: It is an innovative approach to cancer therapy. The treatment employs custom T lymphocytes from patients, accounting for genomic and proteomic variation. Their genetic engineering leads to displaying CAR on their surface which can combat cancer in the body.
Challenges with Custom Cell Isolation
Custom cells fine-tune biomedical research and enhance the quality and application of preclinical investigations. However, the challenge arises with their isolation. First of all, it’s challenging to get the ideal donor profile. Second, standardization is necessary since conventional isolation procedures are not always available. Thirdly, comprehensive functional characterization is essential for a pure population. Last but not least, the possibility of contamination necessitates strict testing and adherence to aseptic procedures.
Even after fulfilling all the conditions, the yield is too low for research application. One has to repeat the isolation procedure several times before acquiring a pure, characterized population with a high yield. Not to mention, it requires a huge investment of time, money, and labor. These reasons have, thus, increased the requirement for an alternative to isolation in the in-house institute laboratory.
Custom Cell Isolation Services
Cell culture research companies offer new products and services to keep up with the changing demands of the market. They also provide custom cell isolation services at a reasonable cost. The private sector takes charge of isolation procedures, standardizing protocols, and conducting comprehensive testing to supply a pure, contamination-free, and functionally characterized cell population. They also provide a tailor-made medium for optimal growth. This practice is more cost-effective and time-saving in comparison to the in-house isolation.
Conclusion
Cell culture is an integral part of biomedical research. It continues to broaden our spectrum of knowledge with different varieties of in vitro models- primary cells, cell lines, and cancer cells. Studies in the past decade have suggested variations in results pertaining to a tissue or donor profile. With implications in therapeutic development, custom cells have been rising as the new frontier of in vitro research. They have added precision to the research data and its applicability to a cohort.
However, their in-house acquisition is quite an effort, encouraging the private sector to offer the relevant services. Kosheeka is a cell culture research company that performs custom cell isolation and provides the cells in short turn-around-times. With the options of tailored donor profiles, quality control tests, and expert in vitro culture guidance, Kosheeka is substantially advancing in vitro research.
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between primary and secondary sources of cells?
Primary source is the tissue from which cells have been extracted, whereas secondary source refers to the already isolated cells.
Q: What are custom cells?
Cells that are specific to the research study in terms of donor profile and tissue are custom.
Q: What are the applications of custom cells?
They can be employed in drug discovery, drug screening, personalized medicine, etc.
Q: Why are custom cell isolation services required?
These services substantially reduce the cost, labor, and time for the isolation and validation process in comparison to in-house isolation.
