We typically work with two principal cell lines for ectopic target expression.
To comply with the requirements of your project, we currently offer two cell lines to choose from when creating your drug discovery model.
CHO cells overexpressing an ion channel (green).
Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) Cell-Line
Origin: Epithelial-like cells from the ovary of the Chinese hamster.
Typical use: Developing stable cell lines for long-term, high-volume assays; screening therapeutic biologics (e.g., antibodies).
Transfection Efficiency: Generally lower and more challenging for transient expression, often requiring specialized protocols.
Growth Rate/Speed: Slower doubling time (typically 24-36 hours) leading to longer timelines for cell line development.
Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs): Performs complex glycosylation that closely mimics human patterns, making them the industry standard for most therapeutic proteins. Excellent.
Scalability: Industry gold standard for large-scale, serum-free, suspension culture, crucial for late-stage screening and commercial production.
Physiological Relevance: Lower human relevance due to non-human origin, though PTMs are generally compatible.
Biosafety: Lower risk of human viral contamination due to hamster origin.
Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) Cell Line
Origin:Epithelial-like cells from human embryonic kidney, transformed with adenovirus DNA.
Typical use: Transient expression for rapid, high-throughput screening, target validation, and early-stage lead discovery.
Transfection Efficiency: Exceptionally high and easy to transfect, enabling rapid expression of membrane receptors or reporter genes.
Growth Rate/Speed: Faster doubling time (typically 18-24 hours) allowing for quick turnaround in transient assays.
Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs): Performs authentic human-specific PTMs (e.g., γ-carboxylation) that CHO cells may not, offering high physiological relevance for certain targets.
Scalability: Good for research/small-scale transient expression; larger-scale suspension culture can be challenging due to aggregation and regulatory concerns.
Physiological Relevance: High human relevance due to human origin, which is advantageous for studying human receptors and pathways.
Biosafety: Higher risk of human viral contamination due to human origin, requiring stringent biosafety protocols.