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In basic scientific research-related questions cell culture is an essential and versatile tool. It refers to the growth and expansion of cells in the laboratory.
The process of cell culture is carried out in a culture dish. Cell cultures are used for research in the field of medicine and to diagnose infections.
The dish gradually becomes crowded as the cells divide. It is possible to produce millions of stem cells from the original cells. For further culture and experimentation, batches of cells can be frozen at any point in the process.
History of Cell Culture
As early as the 20th century cell culture was originally introduced to study the growth of the tissue and its development. With the help of cell culture, virus biology was studied, and vaccine development was performed. It further defines the role of genes in health and diseases. Biopharmaceuticals are produced using large-scale hybrid cell lines.
During many experiments, the cells are cultured and diversified as various cells generally used to be grown in vitro. Due to the homogeneity of clonal cell populations and specific cell types, along with the controlled nature of well-defined culture systems, genetic or environmental variables are minimized. This enables the generation of highly reproducible and consistent data, which is often not achievable in whole-organ studies. Different places use different methods for cell culture. Tissue cells and molecular cells are generally cultured at 37°C for pharmacological, physiological and biological evaluation. The conditions in which stem cells are grown allow them to differentiate. Altering the chemical composition of the culture medium, altering the surface of the culture dish, or forcing genes to be expressed in the cells may grow different types of differentiated cells.
Cell Culture in India
The Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Mumbai has four cell culture labs, a microscopy room and a general-purpose storage room. Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology of India has trained faculty for the proliferation of normal cells. CCMB of India has well-equipped facilities with microscopes, cold rooms, freezers, etc. A few companies in India, such as those mentioned above, engage in cell culture.
Process Upon Successful Completion of the Cell Culture
Upon the successful completion of the culturing process, the culture medium is carefully removed or rinsed away, allowing optimal harvesting of the valuable cells. Stem cells extracted from the bone marrow, peripheral blood, adipose tissue and precursor cells from the skin have been proven instrumental in treating various fatal diseases like cancer, sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia, and diabetes. This aside stem cells are also derived from cord tissue and cord blood. Once the cord blood stem cells are cultured and harvested, they are stored in some of the best techniques. The stem cells are preserved at -196 degrees. By freezing stem cells at a controlled temperature, their liveliness can be preserved for more than two decades for future medical emergencies. The cord stem cells are used to treat FDA-approved 80 + deadly diseases. That means for stem cell therapies to be successful, scientists must be able to manipulate stem cells so that they are capable of differentiation, transplantation and engraftment. To regenerate and repair solid tissues in three dimensions, scientists must also develop procedures for administering stem cell populations, as well as vascularization (supplying blood vessels).