Cell culture is a way scientists grow cells outside of living things to study them. In this article, we’ll look at the differences between primary cells and immortalized cells, what makes them special, and how they’re used in science. We’ll explain each type of cell, talking about what’s good and not so good about them in different kinds of research.

What is Cell Culture?

Cell culture is when scientists grow cells in a lab. It’s really important for learning about how cells work, what causes diseases, and how to make new medicines. People started doing cell culture in the early 1900s, but it got a lot better in the 1950s when they first grew human cells called HeLa cells. Since then, cell culture has gotten much more advanced, using new tools and methods to make better cell models.

There are two main types of cell culture: primary cell culture and immortalized cell lines. Each type has good and bad points, which make them better for different kinds of research. Scientists have to think carefully about which type to use based on what they want to study and what results they hope to get.

Primary Cells: Characteristics and Applications

Primary cells come straight from living tissue and are a lot like the cells in your body. They can only divide a certain number of times before they stop growing, which is called senescence. This happens because cells naturally get old and parts of their DNA called telomeres get shorter each time they divide. Primary cells are great for seeing how real cells in the body work because they keep many of the special jobs and features of the original tissue.

Here are some important things about primary cells:

Primary Cells vs. Immortalized Cells: Key Differences

• Primary cells come straight from living tissue, but immortalized cells are changed to keep growing
• Primary cells only live for a short time, usually dividing 50-70 times
• Immortalized cells can keep growing forever because of changes to their genes
• Primary cells are more like the real cells in your body
• Immortalized cells might change over time and become different from normal cells
• Primary cells are harder to grow and take care of
• Immortalized cells are easier to grow in large amounts
• Primary cells from different samples can be quite different from each other
• Immortalized cells give more similar results in different experiments
• Primary cells are better for studying how normal cells behave and react to drugs
• Immortalized cells are good for long studies and making lots of proteins

Primary cells are really useful for studying how normal cells work, what they’re made of, and how they make energy. They’re especially good for testing if new medicines might be harmful and for personalized medicine research. Because primary cells can be different from person to person, they’re great for looking at how different people might react to drugs or get sick. Primary cells also help make better models of diseases and check if what we learn from immortalized cells is true. Check out Cytion’s primary cell collection for lots of high-quality options, including cells from specific tissues and special food for growing primary cells.

Immortalized Cells: Characteristics and Applications

Immortalized cells, also called continuous cell lines, are cells that have been changed so they can keep growing forever. These cells don’t stop dividing like normal cells do, which means scientists can grow them for a long time. Cells can become immortal naturally, like cancer cells, or scientists can change them on purpose. Because these cells can keep growing, they’re really useful for long experiments and when scientists need a lot of cells.

Here are some important things about immortalized cells:

Key Characteristics of Immortalized Cells

• Can keep dividing and growing forever
• Easier to grow and take care of in the lab
• More similar to each other genetically
• Might not work exactly like normal cells
• Easy to get and not too expensive for research

Scientists use immortalized cells for lots of things, like making proteins, studying how genes work, and testing lots of new medicines quickly. These cells grow the same way each time, which makes experiments more reliable and easy to repeat. They’re also really important for making stable cell lines that produce special proteins, which is needed for making some medicines. But scientists have to be careful because these cells might change over time. Check out Cytion’s immortalized cell line collection for your research. We have well-tested cell lines that are good for many different kinds of experiments.

Key Differences Between Primary and Immortalized Cells

Widely Used Immortalized Cell Lines in Research

HeLa Cells

HeLa cells were the first human cells grown in a lab back in 1951. They came from a woman’s cancer cells. These cells have helped scientists make many important discoveries, like creating the polio vaccine. HeLa cells grow really well and are tough, which makes them great for lots of different experiments. Scientists all over the world use them because they grow fast and can survive in many different conditions.

Scientists use HeLa cells for:

• Studying cancer: Learning how tumors grow and spread, and why some don’t respond to treatment
• Studying viruses: Finding out how viruses infect cells and making new treatments
• Testing new medicines: Checking if new drugs might work
• Changing genes: Studying what happens when you add or remove genes

Check out Cytion’s HeLa cell for your research. We have real HeLa cells and special food to grow them.

HEK293 Cells

HEK293 cells come from human kidney cells. Scientists use them a lot because it’s easy to put new genes into them and make them produce proteins. These cells have been changed to have different receptors and signaling molecules, which makes them great for studying how cells communicate and how drugs interact with cells.

Scientists use HEK293 cells for:

• Making proteins: Producing lots of proteins for studying their structure and function
• Studying genes: Looking at how genes work in human cells
• Developing drugs: Testing new drugs that target specific parts of cells
• Making viruses for gene therapy: Creating viruses that can deliver genes to treat diseases

Check out Cytion’s HEK293 cell products for your experiments. We have special types of HEK293 cells for different kinds of research.

Jurkat Cells

Jurkat cells are a type of human immune cell called T cells. Scientists use them to study how the immune system works, how cancer develops, and how HIV infects cells. These cells have helped scientists understand how T cells get activated and how to make new treatments for immune system problems. Jurkat cells can make a lot of a special protein called interleukin-2 when they’re stimulated, which is useful for studying how immune cells talk to each other.

Scientists use Jurkat cells for:

• Studying the immune system: Looking at how T cells get activated and work
• Researching T-cell leukemia: Understanding how this type of blood cancer develops
• Studying cell death: Learning how immune cells die in a controlled way
• Testing drugs for immune problems: Finding new medicines that can change how T cells work

Check out Cytion’s Jurkat cell products for your immune system research. We have Jurkat cells with special genetic changes or added features for different experiments.

CHO Cells

CHO cells come from Chinese hamster ovaries. They’re the most common cells used to make proteins for medicines. These cells grow quickly and can make a lot of proteins. Scientists have changed CHO cells to make them even better at producing proteins and adding the right sugar molecules to them. This makes CHO cells really important for making medicines.   

Scientists use CHO cells for:

• Making medicines: Producing large amounts of proteins and antibodies for treatments
• Making antibodies: Creating high-quality antibodies for research and medical use
• Studying sugar molecules on proteins: Looking at how to improve the sugar molecules added to proteins
• Creating stable cell lines: Making cells that consistently produce specific proteins

Check out Cytion’s CHO cell products for your research on making medicines. We have special CHO cells that are really good at making proteins and special food to grow them in.

Applications of Cell Culture in Modern Science

Growing cells in labs has changed how scientists do research. Being able to grow and change cells in controlled conditions has helped us understand how cells work, what causes diseases, and how to make new treatments. Here are some important ways scientists use cell culture:

Drug Development

Testing new medicines to see if they work and are safe

Cancer Research

Studying how tumors grow and testing possible treatments

Vaccine Production

Growing viruses to make vaccines

Regenerative Medicine

Developing stem cell treatments and growing new tissues

These examples show how useful cell culture is for learning new things in science and making new medical treatments. Growing cells in labs gives scientists a controlled place to study complex biological processes. They can change specific things about the cells and watch how they react in real-time. Being able to change cells’ genes has helped scientists make discoveries faster in many areas of science.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations in Cell Culture

While growing cells in labs has really helped science, there are some challenges and things to think about:

• Contamination risks: Bacteria, fungi, or other tiny organisms can get into cell cultures and ruin experiments. Scientists have to be really careful to keep everything clean and check their cells regularly.
• Genetic changes: Cells might change over time, which could affect experiment results. Scientists need to check the genes of their cells often and not use cells that have been grown for too long.
• Wrong cell identification: It’s really important to make sure the cells are what scientists think they are. Sometimes, different types of cells can get mixed up, so scientists need to be careful to check their cells’ identity.
• Ethical concerns: Using cells that come from humans raises important questions, especially about getting permission and keeping people’s information private. This is especially important for cell lines like HeLa cells that have a complicated history.
• Difficulty repeating experiments: Different labs might get different results because of small changes in how they grow cells. It’s important for scientists to write down exactly how they do things so others can copy their experiments.
• Not exactly like real tissues: While growing cells flat in dishes is useful, it’s not the same as how cells grow in 3D in the body. Scientists are working on new ways to grow cells in 3D to make them more like real tissues.

Scientists have to follow strict rules and think carefully about what’s right when they do their work. This includes getting permission from people before taking their cells, keeping good records of where cells come from and how they’ve been changed, and following guidelines for doing research responsibly. Learn about how Cytion makes sure to do research ethically, including how we check our cells carefully and are open about where they come from.

Conclusion

Understanding the differences between primary cells and immortalized cells is really important for scientists to choose the right cells for their research. Primary cells are more like the cells in your body, but immortalized cells can grow for a long time and are easier to use for big experiments. Scientists pick which type to use based on what they want to study and what kind of results they need.

Both types of cells are important for learning about how cells work, what causes diseases, and how to make new medicines. Primary cells are great for studying how normal cells in the body work and how they react to things. Immortalized cells are good for testing lots of new drugs quickly and making large amounts of proteins. By choosing the right type of cell and using them carefully, scientists can learn new things and make important discoveries.

As scientists come up with new ways to grow cells, like 3D cultures and tiny organ-like structures called organoids, they’re getting even better at studying cells in the lab. These new methods are helping to make lab experiments more like what happens in the real body.

Ready to start your own cell experiments? Check out all the cell culture products Cytion offers to find the perfect tools for your research. We have high-quality cells, special food for cells, and other things you need to do great experiments in the lab. Whether you’re working with primary cells or immortalized cells, Cytion has the tools and knowledge to help you get reliable results in your cell culture research.