NCCS PROGRAMME TO IMMORTALIZE CELL LINES

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The National Centre for Cell Sciences has initiated programmes to develop, immortalize and characterise, cell lines from different tissue and tumour types. The Repository of the Centre is the only such facility in the country that houses human and animal cells. It has procured cultures from various sources within the country and abroad of 35 animal species, which are either extinct or on the verge of extinction.

A major bulk of the cell lines stocked in the repository has been procured from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and the European Collection of Animal Cell Cultures (ECACC). This year alone the NCCS got 20 different cell types from various repositories and supplied 625 cell lines comprising 148 different cell types to 120 research labs and institutions across the country.

The Repository of the NCCS serves to receive, identify, maintain, store, cultivate and supply animal and human cell lines and hybridomas. The main task involves cell line procurement, multiplication, cryo-preservation and distribution.

The centre has attained new heights in research and development in almost all areas of its interest i.e. cancer biology, immunology, cell biology, diabetes, insect molecular biology, signal transduction and chromatin architecture and gene regulation etc. Several of its research accomplishments are internationally acclaimed. Significant progress and leads have been obtained in a number of areas including stem cell research and HIV biology and chromatin structure and function. The development of bone marrow transplant and burn healing technologies of the NCCS, are globally recognised.