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From history to modern times: How does suspension cell culture lead the biomedical revolution?
Suspension cell culture is a form of cell culture in which single cells or small aggregates of cells are allowed to grow and proliferate in a stirred growth medium, forming a suspension.
Suspension cell culture is one of the two classic types of cell culture, the other being adherent cell culture. The history of suspension cell culture is closely related to the history of cell culture as a whole, but differs in maintenance methods and commercial applications. Suspension cells can come from homogenized tissues or heterogeneous cell solutions and are commonly found in the culture of non-adherent cell lines such as blood cells, plant cells, and insect cells. Although some cell lines are cultured in suspension, the majority of mammalian cell lines currently available in the market are adherent. Suspension cell cultures must be agitated to maintain the cells in suspension and may require specialized equipment such as magnetic stirrers, orbital shakers, and culture flasks. Cultivation requires the use of nutrient-rich culture media and controlled cell density range to avoid cell death.
History
In 1885, William Rooker laid the foundation for the future of tissue culture by developing a salt buffer for maintaining living cells, such as chicken embryos, for several days.
In 1907, Ross Granville Harrison developed in vitro cell culture techniques, including improving the hanging drop technique to culture nerve cells and introducing sterile techniques in the culture process. In 1910, Montrose Thomas Barrows improved Harrison's technique and, in collaboration with Alex Carrel, established multiple tissue cultures that could be maintained in vitro using fresh plasma combined with saline solution. Carell also developed the first known cell line, a line derived from the heart of a chick embryo that was maintained continuously for 34 years. Although this claim of an "immortal" cell line was later challenged by Leonard Hayflick, this major breakthrough inspired other scientists to create new cell lines. In 1952, George Otto Gey and his assistant Mary Kusek cultivated the first immortalized human cell line, HeLa cells. Although unlike other adherent cell lines, HeLa cells can also be maintained in suspension. .
Methods and Maintenance
Isolation of cells and establishment of cultures
All primary cells (cells derived directly from an individual) must first be removed from the host, isolated using digestive enzymes, and suspended in culture medium for cultivation. Then in suspension culture, white blood cells are naturally able to remain in suspension and adapt to the demands, which also makes them part of the suspension culture. Most mammalian cells are adherent and must attach to a surface in order to divide. For plant cells and insect cells, cryopreserved cells can be obtained from the manufacturers for establishment of suspension cultures.
Maintaining Suspension Cell Cultures in the Laboratory
Suspension cell cultures require frequent passaging to avoid cell overcrowding.
While suspension cells and attached cells have many similarities, there are some key differences. For example, suspension cell cultures require agitation to prevent the cells from sinking to the bottom. For this purpose, specialized culture vessels such as stirred flasks and shake flasks have been developed. Agitation keeps cells suspended in the medium, but it also creates shear forces on the cells that can negatively impact their growth.
Suspension Cell Culture for Commercial Applications
The advantage of suspension cell cultures is that they are not limited by surface area and can exist in larger numbers in larger vessels, so they are widely used. Suspension cell culture is particularly important in the production of various products, such as antibodies, biologics, and fermentation cultures of microorganisms.
Commercial applications of suspension cell lines include: antibody production, generation of therapeutic proteins, vaccine research, etc.
In summary, suspension cell culture has not only achieved major breakthroughs in history, but also continues to drive various innovations in the current biomedical field. Its potential in anatomy, biopharmaceuticals, regenerative medicine, etc. is still being explored. As we reflect on these advances, we cannot help but ask: How else will future biomedical revolutions benefit from the development of suspension cell cultures?
