- What species? Non-human and non-primate cell lines usually have less biosafety restrictions, your experiments will dictate what cell line species to use.
- Which functional characteristics? For example, liver- and kidney-derived cell lines may be more suitable for toxicity studies (ADMET).
- Finite or continuous? Choosing a primary (finite) cell may relate better to the in vivo situation, continuous cell lines are often easier to clone and maintain.
- Normal or transformed? Genetically transformed cell lines usually have an increased growth rate and higher plating efficiency, the counter part is they have undergone a permanent change in their phenotype through a transformation, no longer an exact copy of the original.
- Which growth conditions? For example, to express a recombinant protein in high yields, you might want to choose a cell line with a fast growth rate and an ability to grow in suspension.
- Other criteria? If you are using a finite cell line, be sure the cell line is well characterized or you have to perform the validation yourself.
Read about the risks of using misidentified, unauthenticated cell lines in a publication by Hughes et al (2007).
We advise against using cultures from other laboratories because:
- There is a high risk of contamination (e.g. mycoplasma)
- They may not be the cell type which is on the label (we recommend to characterize them)
Regardless of their source (purchased or borrowed), make sure that all new cell lines are tested for mycoplasma contamination before you begin to use them.