How Cell Lines Change and Are Verified

Cell lines are populations of cells grown in vitro that can be subcultured over many generations. Normal cells eventually stop dividing after a set number of cell divisions. This stopping point is called replicative senescence. The division limit is known as the Hayflick limit.

Leonard Hayflick d...

Primary cell cultures obtained directly from normal tissue samples can only divide a limited number of times.

To evade this problem, scientists chemically or genetically manipulate cells to create cell lines—immortalized cells that can proliferate indefinitely.

Cell lines can also be propagated directly from cancerous cells.