Glossary

cell line established from a tumor tissue; the most widely used reagent in laboratory-based cancer research to study the biology of cancer and to test cancer treatments

a standardized terminology for use in indexing and retrieval of information

pluripotent stem cells generated from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre-implantation embryo; ESCs are being studied to be used as clinical therapies, models of genetic disorders, and cellular/DNA repair

cell line that can undergo a finite number of divisions

hybrid cell line that results from the fusion of B cells and myeloma cells; hybridomas are immortalized cells which produce antibodies

cell line that can divide indefinitely

cells derived from skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state, thus enabling the development of an unlimited source of any type of human cell needed for therapeutic purposes

cell capable of giving rise to several different cell types

cells taken directly from the tissue and processed to establish them under optimized culture for a limited number of divisions; they most closely represent the tissue of origin conditions

short sequences of DNA (2–6 bp) that are repeated numerous times in a head-tail manner; the number of repeat units is highly variable among individuals, hence STRs are used for identification and authentication purposes

cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated

normal cells which have been modified so as to become immortal