What are the applications of animal tissue culture?

Answer 1

Introduction:

Animal cells extracted from their tissue or organs are cultured in aseptic laboratory with environmental conditions same as in vivo and this technique is called as animal cell culture. Animal cells can grow as anchorage dependant or suspension culture. Cell culture techniques are used in cell and molecular Biology research and studies. Some of the important areas where cell culture plays an important role are toxicity testing, cancer research, virology, gene therapy, drug discovery and many more.

Animal Cell Culture Applications:

1.Model System:

Cell culture are used as model system to study basic cell biology and biochemistry, to study the interaction between cell and disease causing agents like bacteria, virus, to study the effect of drugs, to study the process of aging and also it is used to study triggers for ageing.

2.Cancer Research:

The basic difference between normal cell and cancer cell can be studied using animal cell culture technique, as both cells can be cultured in laboratory. Normal cells can be converted into cancer cells by using radiation, chemicals and viruses. Thus, the mechanism and cause of cancer can be studied. Cell culture can be used to determine the effective drugs for selectively destroy only cancer cells.

3.Virology:

Animal cell cultures are used to replicate the viruses instead of animals for the production of vaccine. Cell culture can also be used to detect and isolate viruses, and also to study growth and development cycle of viruses. It is also used to study the mode of infection.

4.Toxicity Testing:

Animal cell culture is used to study the effects of new drugs, cosmetics and chemicals on survival and growth of a number of types of cells.Especially liver and kidney cells. Cultured animal cells are also used to determine the maximum permissible dosage of new drugs.

5.Vaccine Production:

Cultured animal cells are used in the production of viruses and these viruses are used to produce vaccines. For example vaccines for deadly diseases like polio, rabies, chicken pox, measles and hepatitis B are produced using animal cell culture.

6.Genetically Engineered Protein:

Animal cell cultures are used to produce commercially important genetically engineered proteins such as monoclonal antibodies, insulin, hormones, and much more.

7.Replacement Tissue or Organ:

Animal cell culture can be used as replacement tissue or organs. For example artificial skin can be produced using this technique to treat patients with burns and ulcers. However research is going on artificial organ culture such as liver, kidney and pancreas. Organ culture techniques and research are being conducted on both embryonic and adult stem cell culture. These cells have the capacity to differentiate into many different types of cells and organs. It is belived that by learning to control the development and differentiation of these cells may be used to treat variety of medical conditions.

8.Genetic Counselling:

Fetal cell culture extracted from pregnant women can be used to study or examine the abnormalities of chromosomes, genes using karyotyping, and these findings can be used in early detection of fetal disorders.

9.Genetic Engineering:

Cultured animal cells can be used to introduce new genetic material like DNA or RNA into the cell. These can be used to study the expression of new genes and its effect on the health of the cell. Insect cells are used to produce commercially important proteins by infecting them with genetically altered baculoviruses.

10.Gene Therapy:

Cultured animal cells can be genetically altered and can be used in gene therapy technique. First cells are removed from the patient lacking a functional gene or missing a functional gene. These genes are replaced by functional genes and altered cells are culture and grown in laboratory condition. Then these altered cells are introduced into the patient. Another method is by using viral vector, functional gene is inserted into the genome of viral vector and then they are allowed to infect the patient, in the hope that the missing gene will be expressed with the help of the viral vector.

11.Drug Screening and Development:

Animal cell cultures are used to study the cytotoxicity of new drug. This is also used to find out the effective and safe dosage of new drugs. Now these tests are being conducted in 384 and 1536 well plates. Cell-based assay plays an important role in pharmaceutical industry.

Conclusion:

Animal cell culture technique plays an important role in research and development of drug discovery and also helps in improving the health and quality of life of patients suffering from dangerous diseases like cancer, genetic disorders.

Answer 2

Animal cells can be cultured after being transduced with nucleic acid(s). The cells in culture would behave in almost the same way as they would behave in an animal body. So this would help us to understand the changes in gene-expression due to the altered genotype.

Example: If you doubt that insulin is indeed produced by the INS gene, u can introduce the gene into a compatible host cell and allow the host to survive in an appropriate culture to demonstrate the production of insulin in the medium. The other thing you can do is to introduce a point-mutation by changing a single base in the gene with the help of some technique ( like UV-irradiation ) and engineer a separate compatible host with the altered-gene. U can understand the changes in gene-expression which the point mutation would produce.

Answer 3

The scope of animal tissue culture is very wide and is a subcategory of the anatomy of the animal cell. The tissue culture is controlled by physiological and physiochemical environment.

Answer 4

Application # 1. Model Systems:

Cell cultures provide a good model system for studying:

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(1) Basic cell biology and biochemistry,

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(2) The interactions between disease-causing agents and cells,

(3) The effects of drugs on cells,

(4) The process and triggers for aging, and

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(5) Nutritional studies.

Application # 2. Toxicity Testing:

Cultured cells are widely used alone or in conjunction with animal tests to study the effects of new drugs, cosmetics and chemicals on survival and growth in a wide variety of cell types. Especially important are liver- and kidney-derived cell cultures.

Application # 3. Cancer Research:

Since both normal cells and cancer cells can be grown in culture, the basic differences between them can be closely studied. In addition, it is possible, by the use of chemicals, viruses and radiation, to convert normal cultured cells to cancer causing cells. Thus, the mechanisms that cause the change can be studied. Cultured cancer cells also serve as a test system to determine suitable drugs and methods for selectively de­stroying types of cancer.

Application # 4. Virology:

One of the earliest and major uses of cell culture is the replication of viruses in cell cultures (in place of animals) for use in vaccine production. Cell cultures are also widely used in the clinical detection and isolation of viruses, as well as basic research into how they grow and infect organisms.

Application # 5. Cell-Based Manufacturing:

While cultured cells can be used to produce many impor­tant products, three areas are generating the most interest. The first is the large-scale production of viruses for use in vaccine production. These include vaccines for polio, rabies, chicken pox, hepatitis B and measles.

The second is the large-scale production of cells that have been genetically engineered to produce proteins that have medicinal or commercial value. These include monoclonal antibodies, insulin, hormones, etc. The third is the use of cells as replacement tissues and organs. Artificial skin for use in treating burns and ulcers is the first commercially available product. However, testing is underway on artificial organs such as pancreas, liver and kidney.

A potential supply of replacement cells and tissues may come out of work currently being done with both embryonic and adult stem cells. These are cells that have the potential to differentiate into a variety of different cell types. It is hoped that learning how to control the development of these cells may offer new treatment approaches for a wide variety of medical conditions.

Application # 6. Genetic Counselling:

Amniocentesis, a diagnostic technique that enables doctors to remove and culture fetal cells from pregnant women, has given doctors an important tool for the early diagnosis of fetal disorders. These cells can then be examined for abnormalities in their chromosomes and genes using karyotyping, chromosome painting and other molecular techniques.

Application # 7. Genetic Engineering:

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The ability to transfect or reprogram cultured cells with new genetic material (DNA and genes) has provided a major tool to molecular biologists wishing to study the cellular effects of the expression of these genes (new proteins). These techniques can also be used to produce these new proteins in large quantity in cultured cells for further study. Insect cells are widely used as miniature cells factories to express substantial quantities of proteins that they manufacture after being infected with genetically engineered baculoviruses.

Application # 8. Gene Therapy:

The ability to genetically engineer cells has also led to their use for gene therapy. Cells can be removed from a patient lacking a functional gene and the missing or damaged gene can then be replaced. The cells can be grown for a while in culture and then replaced into the patient. An alternative approach is to place the missing gene into a viral vector and then “infect” the patient with the virus in the hope that the missing gene will then be expressed in the patient’s cells.

Application # 9. Drug Screening and Development:

Cell-based assays have become increasingly im­portant for the pharmaceutical industry, not just for cytotoxicity testing but also for high throughput screening of compounds that may have potential use as drugs. Originally, these cell culture tests were done in 96 well plates, but increasing use is now being made of 384 and 1536 well plates.