Application of cell culture

Cell culture:

Cell culture is the technique of growing and maintaining the cells of multicellular organisms in an artificial environment provided with favourable temperature, humidity, nutrition and contamination free conditions. Applications of cell culture The importance of growing cells in culture is very crucial in biotechnology and life science. 

The application of cell culture is described below 

 1. Model system: As a model system To study normal physiology and biochemistry of the cell. To study the interaction between cell and disease causing agents like bacteria, viruses To study the effects of drugs To study the process of aging 

 2. Cancer research To investigate the difference between the normal cell and the cancer cells To examine how normal cells are induced into cancer cells by using radiation, chemicals and viruses thereby unlocking the mechanism and cause of cancer To examine the ability of a drug to kill cancer cells in culture 

 3. Toxicity Testing To study the effects of new drugs, cosmetics and chemicals on survival and growth of different cell types To determine the maximum permissible dosage of new drugs

 4. Vaccine production To produce vaccines for deadly disease like polio, rabies, chicken pox and hepatitis. 

5. Genetically Engineered proteins/hormones To produce commercially important genetically engineered proteins such as monoclonal antibody, insulin, growth hormone and much more. 

6. Virology Animal cell cultures are used to detect and isolate viruses, and also to study growth and development cycle of viruses To study the mode of virus infection 

 7. Replacement of tissues or organ To produce artificial skin to treat patients with burns and ulcers To carry out artificial organ culture such as liver, kidney and pancreas 

 8. Genetic engineering To introduce/ insert new genetic material like DNA or RNA into the cell to study the expression of new genes and it's effect on the health of the cell 

 9. Gene therapy Cultured animal cells can be genetically altered and used in gene therapy technique 

 10. Genetic counselling Foetal cell culture extracted from pregnant women can be used to study or examine the abnormalities of chromosomes, genes and these findings can be used in early detection of foetal disorder.