Commentary - (2024) Volume 8, Issue 3
Received: 02-Sep-2024, Manuscript No. IPRJO-24-22013; Editor assigned: 04-Sep-2024, Pre QC No. IPRJO-24-22013 (PQ); Reviewed: 18-Sep-2024, QC No. IPRJO-24-22013; Revised: 23-Sep-2024, Manuscript No. IPRJO-24-22013 (R); Published: 30-Sep-2024, DOI: 10.36648/iprjo-8.3.26
Cancer cell lines are a cornerstone of cancer research and drug development, offering a reliable and reproducible model for understanding the biology of cancer and testing potential therapies. These immortalized cells, derived from human or animal tumors, are cultured in laboratory settings and used to study the mechanisms of cancer progression, identify novel biomarkers, and evaluate the efficacy of new drugs. As the field of oncology continues to evolve, the role of cancer cell lines remains pivotal in advancing our understanding of this complex disease. Cancer cell lines are cultures of cells that have been isolated from a patient’s tumor and adapted to grow indefinitely under laboratory conditions. Unlike primary cells, which are directly obtained from tissues and have a limited lifespan, cancer cell lines can be passaged (sub-cultured) multiple times, allowing researchers to work with a virtually endless supply of the same cell population. The establishment of a cancer cell line typically begins with a biopsy or surgical sample of a tumor, from which individual cancer cells are extracted and introduced into culture media. Over time, these cells acquire mutations that allow them to survive and proliferate outside the body, leading to the creation of a stable cell line. Cancer cell lines can be categorized based on the tissue or organ of origin or the type of cancer. Cancer cell lines provide researchers with an invaluable tool to investigate the genetic and molecular underpinnings of cancer. By studying how these cells grow, divide, and interact with their environment, scientists can uncover key drivers of cancer progression. For instance, the study of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cell lines has led to the identification of several crucial pathways involved in cancer, such as the p53 tumor suppressor pathway and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In addition to their genetic makeup, cancer cell lines are useful for studying cancer behavior in a controlled environment. Researchers can observe how cancer cells respond to changes in nutrients, oxygen levels, and the presence of drugs, simulating the conditions that tumors experience within the body. This helps to mimic key aspects of tumor biology, such as metastasis, resistance to treatment, and tumor heterogeneity. One of the primary applications of cancer cell lines is in the testing of anti-cancer drugs. Researchers use these cell lines to screen large libraries of compounds, assessing their ability to inhibit cancer cell growth, induce cell death or halt the cell cycle. For instance, many early-phase clinical trials of new cancer drugs rely on in vitro testing in cell lines to identify promising candidates before moving to more complex animal models or human trials. Furthermore, cancer cell lines help researchers investigate drug resistance mechanisms, a major challenge in cancer treatment. By repeatedly exposing a cancer cell line to a drug, scientists can generate resistant cell variants, which can then be studied to understand how resistance develops and what alternative therapies may overcome it. Despite their numerous advantages, cancer cell lines are not without limitations. One of the most significant issues is that they do not fully replicate the complexity of human tumors. Researchers are now creating cell lines from the tumors of patients with specific genetic profiles and using these cell lines to test how they respond to various treatments. Additionally, cancer cell lines derived from patient tumors can be used to develop Patient- Derived Xenograft (PDX) models, where the patient’s tumor is implanted into immunocompromised mice. This allows for the testing of therapies in a living organism, offering more insight into the potential effectiveness of a drug before clinical trials.
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The author’s declared that they have no conflict of interest.
Citation: Lee N (2024) Cancer Cell Lines: Essential Tools in Cancer Research and Drug Development. Res J Onco. 8:26.
Copyright: © 2024 Lee N. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
