3 ms·
>It's a shame that it is practically impossible to culture healthy cells the way they probably cultured these cancer cells so there is not really a control expe
by Roark66 7y ago
>It's a shame that it is practically impossible to culture healthy cells the way they probably cultured these cancer cells so there is not really a control experiment.
Why not? What is special about the way they culture those cells compared to a non-cancerous cell culture? (genuinely asking)
- lalaland1125 7y agoNormal human cells intentionally try to avoid growing too much, especially in weird environments (this is important for keeping things stable and functioning). Cancer cells on the other hand are cancerous for the very reason that those controls are broken. They will try to grow uncontrollably, everywhere.
- virusduck 7y agoMost (cancer) cell lines are sufficient in factors that normal cells are not (nutrients, growth factors, recalcitrance to death signals, all sorts of things). Thus, they are much more robust and some cell lines can grow in 3D structures, in suspension, and in monolayers in flasks. While we do routinely culture primary cell explants, they are much more finicky. In part because their environment changes dramatically. Eventually they succumb to cell death (either apoptotic or not) or they senesce.