hTERT-immortalized Primary Epidermal Cells: Key Components in Complex Toxicological Models Webinar

Physiologically relevant cell models are essential for identifying the toxicity of novel therapeutics and cosmetics on epidermal and oral surfaces. While primary cells offer high biological relevance, they suffer from high donor-donor variability, loss of certain in vivo functionalities, and limited lifespan. To provide more growth over longer periods of time for toxicity testing, ATCC scientists transduced different types of human dermal and gingival primary cells with telomerase. These cells have been tested and validated for longevity and to maintain primary cell features, such as the formation of an epidermal barrier, melaninogenesis, and sensitivity to test compounds such as chlorhexidine. Further, these hTERT-immortalized cells can be used alone or in co-culture with other cells for performing studies of the complex process of skin pigmentation, high throughput screening, environmental/cosmetic toxicology, and basic research into cell metabolism.

Key Points

• Drug and cosmetic safety screening can be slowed by factors such as limited donor material, lot to lot variability, and limited lifespan of in vitro models
• Immortalizing primary cells with the catalytic subunit of human telomerase grants these cells the ability to be cultured to high passage without the loss of replicative senescence or important biological characteristics
• hTERT-immortalized keratinocytes, melanocytes, and fibroblasts recapitulate key barrier, growth, differentiation, and other physiologically relevant features, making them useful tools for applications such as high-throughput screening