Benefits of Using HEK293 Cells in Biomedical Research

The year 2020 will always be remembered as the period when the whole world was thrown into turmoil. The health, economic, political, bilateral, and other effects of the covid-19 pandemic were the reasons for this.

We have lots of players to thank for restoring a great deal of normalcy. Frontline healthcare workers are very high on this list and are accorded a great deal of respect. However, there are unsung heroes just like in every such experience.

Biologists Alex Van Der Eb and Frank L. Graham are the true definition of unsung heroes. Their scientific activities as far back as the 1970s made it possible to have covid-19 vaccines. This is either because their developed fetal cell line – HEK293 cells; was used in the research and/or production of covid vaccines.

Alex Van Der Eb isolated and grew HEK293 cells while Frank L. Graham made them suitable enough by having adenoviral genes incorporated into them. This is something that this Canadian biologist is widely known for. You can read this report for more information about Frank L. Graham’s pioneering work.

This article aims to discuss some of the benefits of this fetal cell line. So, keep reading to stay informed.

How HEK293 Cells Advances Biomedical Research

HEK293 Cells have significantly helped advance the course of biomedicine for several decades. It has played a huge role in helping us:

• Understand disease mechanisms better
• Discover and develop drugs
• Develop and improve diagnostic testing
• Successfully conduct clinical trials

The aforementioned are just a tiny bit of how this fetal cell line has advanced the course of biomedicine. The several benefits of using HEK293 in biomedical research explain how this is the case. Some of the benefits in question include the following:

Availability

It is one of the most used cell lines and this is for several reasons. The fact that HEK293 Cells are very available is one of the reasons for this. It can be obtained from various sources such as biotechnology companies, academic laboratories, and cell banks. The fact that it is easy to transfect and culture also explains why it is very available for use.

Human Origin

Cell lines are gotten from various sources – humans, animals, and plants. However, options from particular sources can only be used or are best for carrying out certain biomedical research.

For example, animal cell lines can come in handy for studying human diseases and biology. However, there are several challenges and limitations involved. For starters, this is because human pathology and physiology may not be completely imitated by them.

As a result, researchers stand a better chance using easy-to-use human-derived options. This is where options like HEK293 come in.

Regulatory Approval

Biomedical research is subject to regulatory approval. This is especially when certain things like the use of cell lines are involved. One of the reasons is to ensure that ethical laws are not violated.

Fortunately, the use of HEK293 does not present regulatory challenges in many situations. Its use is widely accepted in many academic, industrial, and research quarters.

Easy to Use

There is a long list of cell lines that are difficult to use. This list cuts across primary human, non-human, human cancer, and also immortalized human cells. Examples include:

• Primary Human category – fibroblasts, keratinocytes, endothelial cells, hepatocytes, and neurons
• Non-Human category – TH-1, Sf9, and DF-1
• Human Cancer category – HeLa, PC3, MCF-7, or U87MG
• Immortalized Human category – HCT116, HEK293T, or BJ-TERT

There are various explanations for why the aforementioned and more are hard to use. Rigid culture requirement, limited lifespan, poor transfection efficiency, temperature preferences, contamination troubles, genetic instability, and even ethical concerns are some of the reasons using some of these cell lines are difficult.

Fortunately, HEK293 Cells are very helpful because they are easy to use. By the way, they should not be mistaken for HEK293T. HEK293T is an immortalized version of HEK293. This does not rule out the fact that they also have similarities. For more information on the differences and similarities between both of them, you can visit: https://www.650.org/.

Conclusion

HEK293 Cells have greatly advanced the course of biomedicine for decades. Its role in the research and/or production of covid-19 vaccines is a prime example. By the way, its importance transcends biomedicine. For instance, it is very helpful in virology as well.

All these prove how important it is. As a result, it should be further explored for scientific research.