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Lifespan

Primary cells Continuous cell lines

Biological relevance

Genetic integrity

Ease-of-use

Cost

Limited

High

Genetic makeup is comparable to that of the donor

Require highly optimized culture conditions

Relatively high

Infinite

Reduced

Frequently exhibit mutations that support unlimited growth and can

be prone to genetic drift

Easy to maintain and propagate using well-established methods

Typically inexpensive

STEM CELLSSMOOTH MUSCLE CELLSIMMUNE CELLS

KERATINOCYTESFIBROBLASTSENDOTHELIAL CELLS EPITHELIAL CELLS

MELANOCYTES

Primary cells offer several advantages over continuous cell lines, including closer similarity to conditions in vivo for more biologically relevant results. This makes them ideal model systems for a broad range of research applications.

Things You Need to Know About Primary Cells

Things You Need to Know About Primary Cells

Primary cells are isolated directly from human or animal tissue before being grown in culture. Unlike continuous cell lines that have acquired the ability to proliferate indefinitely through mutation or deliberate modification, primary cells retain many characteristics of the donor tissue and more closely resemble the in vivo state.

What are primary cells?

Primary cells can broadly be categorized according to the tissue of origin. They include:

Primary cells by tissue type

A main difference between primary cells and continuous cell lines is that primary cells have only a finite lifespan. After a certain length of time in culture, primary cells will die unless they are genetically transformed to produce an immortalized secondary cell line. Despite this limitation, primary cells are increasingly used for scientific research due to their greater biological relevance.

Differences between primary cells and continuous cell lines

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By avoiding genetic abnormalities inherent to continuous cell lines, primary cells more closely mirror the donor phenotype. Researchers can compare cells between different donors to reveal mechanisms of disease pathogenesis. Additionally, performing studies in mouse or rat primary cells prior to in vivo research helps refine dosing regimens and reduce animal use.

Benefits of using primary cells

Primary cells are used for many different applications, which vary depending on the tissue of origin. These include;

Applications of primary cell culture

Purchasing authenticated primary cells from a commercial supplier rather than isolating them in house can help streamline workflows.

STEM CELL THERAPYCANCER RESEARCHDRUG SCREENING TOXICITY TESTING VIROLOGY