Why Primary Cells are better than Cell Lines?
Primary cells are isolated directly from tissues and organs.
What are Primary Cells and Cell Lines?
Primary cells and cell lines are two types of cells that are commonly used in biological and medical research. Primary cells are cells that are isolated directly from living tissue, such as from a biopsy or surgical sample. These cells are typically cultured for a short period of time and used in in vitro experiments. However, they have a limited lifespan. These cells maintain many of the characteristics and functions of the origin of the tissues and are therefore more representative of in vivo biology.
In contrast, cell lines are immortalized cells that have been derived from cells. The cell lines are then undergone genetic alterations to allow them to proliferate indefinitely in culture. Cell lines are often easier to work with than primary cells. They can be maintained in culture for long periods of time and can be easily scaled up for experiments. However, cell lines often differ from primary cells in terms of their gene expression profiles, signalling pathways, and biological functions.
Why are Primary Cells better than Cell Lines?
Primary cells offer several advantages over cell lines for various reasons, which are outlined below.
| Primary Cells | Cell Lines | |
| Tissue characteristics | Retains in vivo characteristics | Loses in vivo characteristics |
| Mutations/Modifications | Low | High |
| Reduces the need for animal testing and experimentation | Yes, they can be used in advanced cell culture models to optimize and refine experimental conditions | Limitations in developing complex in vitro models that are biologically relevant |
| Source | From the tissue | From a vial with high mutations and colonial selection |
| Authentication is required before usage | No authentication is required if bought commercially (eg. Lonza) | Authentication is required before used |
| Availability of donor characteristics | Study cells with diverse donor characteristics, including those from healthy and diseased individuals | Study cells from a single donor repeatedly |
Applications of Primary Cells
Disease modelling
Primary cells offer a more biologically relevant and accurate model for studying diseases and testing potential therapies. They closely mimic in vivo conditions, allowing researchers to study disease mechanisms with greater precision and relevance.
Drug discovery and development
Primary cells offer a biologically relevant and clinically relevant model for studying drug efficacy, toxicity, and safety. With primary cells retaining characteristics from the donor, they provide a more reliable and translational result.
Personalized medicine
Primary cells from patients can be used to develop personalized treatment approaches, tailoring therapies to individual patients based on their specific cellular characteristics and disease state.
Toxicity testing
Primary cells are used in toxicology studies to assess the safety and potential adverse effects of chemicals, drugs, and other substances.
Basic research
Primary cells are essential for studying fundamental cellular and molecular processes, including cell signalling, gene regulation, and cell differentiation, as they provide a more representative and biologically relevant model.
How Can We Help You?
Primary Cells Supplier
Lonza is a leading supplier of primary cells worldwide, offering a comprehensive portfolio of cryopreserved and fresh cells that support various research areas. These cells are sourced ethically and undergo rigorous quality control (QC) testing for authentication. By using Lonza’s cryopreserved cells, researchers can avoid the challenges of self-isolation and QC, which require specialized expertise, infrastructure, and access to ethically sourced donor tissue. During fresh cell isolations, you may face issues such as unsuccessful isolations, difficulties in comparing data with off-site groups, and variability among isolations over long-term studies. With Lonza’s cryopreserved cells, we can help to overcome these challenges, providing a reliable and consistent source of primary cells for research purposes.
One of the unique features of the offering by Lonza is the availability of healthy or diseased cells that can be traced back to the demographic characteristics of the donors, such as gender, age, smoking status, and more. With Lonza’s, you can study cells with varied donor characteristics, enhancing the relevance and applicability of your research in various fields such as disease modelling, drug discovery, and personalized medicine.
Bulletkit™ Media – Optimized Media for Primary Cells
Lonza has also developed optimized media products, such as the BulletKit™ Media, specifically tailored for each cell type. Classical media may not be sufficient to support the growth and retention of phenotypic markers in many primary cell types. To address this, Lonza’s BulletKit™ Media is formulated with additional growth factors and hormones to provide optimal support for the consistent growth of primary cells while preserving their tissue-specific characteristics. This specialized media helps researchers establish more biologically relevant and complex in vitro models, such as co-culture systems, or advanced cell culture models, supporting the advancement of cutting-edge research.
Lonza’s extensive primary cell portfolio, combined with its optimized media offerings, provides researchers with valuable tools to conduct impactful research in a wide range of applications and contribute to advancements in various scientific fields. Their commitment to ethical sourcing, rigorous QC testing, and specialized media formulations make Lonza a trusted and reliable partner for primary cell research.
Key Wrap-Up – Primary Cells are better than Cell Lines
In conclusion, primary cells offer more biologically relevant models for studying disease, drug efficacy, toxicity, and safety, leading to more accurate and clinically relevant results compared to cell lines. Additionally, primary cells are valuable tools for personalized medicine due to the availability of donor demographic information. Last but not least, Lonza offers an excellent portfolio of ethically sourced primary cells, including cryopreserved cells, to meet your cell culture requirements.
