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Cell biology aspects of safety in cell culture

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Safety in Cell and Tissue Culture

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Abstract

Cell cultures are used extensively in many areas of biological research. Whereas the hazards to personnel associated with the use of infected tissues are well documented and appropriate safety measures have been introduced to minimize these risks, very little is known about the potential risks associated with the experimental manipulation of primary cultures or established cell lines. In particular, little information is available on which to base a reliable risk assessment of, for example, the experimental introduction of activated oncogenes into cell cultures or the targeted disruption of endogenous tumour suppressor genes [1]. This chapter seeks to address relevant safety aspects of experimental manipulations which are applied to cells in vitro: it is not intended as an exhaustive survey of the experimental procedures involved, but rather to provide an insight into some of the general principles that may aid in determining a level of risk.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial Cancer Research Fund London, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, UK

    Trevor Littlewood

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  1. Trevor Littlewood
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, UK

    G. Stacey

  2. Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, European Collection of Cell Cultures, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK

    A. Doyle

  3. Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK

    P. Hambleton

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© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Littlewood, T. (1998). Cell biology aspects of safety in cell culture. In: Stacey, G., Doyle, A., Hambleton, P. (eds) Safety in Cell and Tissue Culture. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4916-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4916-7_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6061-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4916-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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