cellkulturer

Cellkulturer, or cell cultures, are populations of cells grown under controlled conditions outside of their original organism. They are used to study cellular processes, drug effects, and disease mechanisms in a reproducible environment and can derive from animals, plants, or microorganisms.

Main categories include primary cultures, which are directly isolated from tissues and have limited proliferative capacity, and established cell lines, which can be passaged repeatedly. Cultures can be adherent, requiring a surface to grow, or suspension, growing freely in liquid. They may consist of a single cell type or mixtures of different cell types, such as co-cultures that model tissue interactions.

Culture systems rely on defined or complex media containing nutrients, growth factors, and often serum. Cells are maintained in incubators at appropriate temperatures, commonly around 37 C for mammalian cells, with controlled CO2 to regulate pH. Aseptic technique and sterile vessels are essential to prevent contamination. Additional tools include specialized substrates, feeder layers, and extracellular matrices to promote attachment and differentiation.

Applications include basic research, toxicology, vaccine and therapeutic development, and biotechnology. Cell cultures enable high-throughput drug screening, production of recombinant proteins, and regenerative medicine research. They are also used in diagnostics, education, and personalized medicine studies.

Safety and ethics: Work with cell cultures is governed by biosafety regulations. Depending on the source material and agents involved, facilities and procedures must meet risk group classifications, containment requirements, and oversight by institutional biosafety committees. Proper disposal of cultures and prevention of contamination are critical to avoid lab-acquired exposure and environmental release.

Development and history: The field advanced through the 20th century with improvements in aseptic technique and tissue culture methods, leading to immortalized cell lines such as HeLa and numerous applications in biology and medicine.