Culture shock: Are lab-grown cells a faithful model for human disease?

Cell cultures used in biology and medical research may not act as a faithful mimic of real tissue, according to research published in Genome Biology. 

The study finds that laboratory-grown cells experience altered cell states within three days as they adapt to their new environment. Studies of human disease, including cancer, rely on the use of cell cultures that have often been grown for decades. The findings could therefore affect the interpretation of past studies and provide important clues for improving cell cultures in the future.

Scientists typically use models to study the basics of human biology. The most common model system is cultured cells, which are taken from the body and coaxed into growing on a plastic dish in the laboratory. Though a linchpin of modern research, it has long been known that the cells in the laboratory can behave differently from those in the body, affecting the understanding of diseases and the development of drugs.

Researchers from the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Linköping University, Sweden, have revealed just how quickly cells change their identity when grown in the laboratory. They found that cells adapt to cell culture systems within one week of growth in a laboratory dish. The analysis provides new insight into how faithfully these cells mimic real tissue, and how models of human disease can still be improved.

Study author Richard Meehan from the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, UK, said: "We were astonished by the speed and spread of the changes. Many cultured cells used in research have been grown for decades and as a result are likely to have very different properties from the cells they are supposed to model.