No Animals were harmed in the making of this post - The use of cell culture inserts for animal free testing

As of the last quarter of 2021, approximately 44 countries from around the world have banned animal testing. Every European Union country, Australia, Colombia, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and a number of Brazilian states are among them. As more governments outlaw practices of animal testing, is there another option that could be used as alternative? 

What is cell culturing?

Cell culturing is an effective technique in biological science where cells are grown in an artificial environment. Applications for cell culturing include studying cellular processes and the effects of drugs, toxins, cosmetics and more (1). Donor cells from plant or animal origin are usually suspended in a growth media or seeded on a biocompatible scaffold. Depending on the cell type being cultured, harvesting the donor cells is minimally invasive to the donor organism. This means that cells from a tissue of interest can be grown in vitro, or “within the glass” in Latin, replacing the need for testing new products in vivo “within the living”.

How are cell culture inserts used?

Cell culture inserts fit over the top of each well in a cell culture plate. A semipermeable membrane separates the upper and lower compartments, which can be filled with growth media. The design allows for simple manipulation of nutrient or drug additives in both compartments. The membrane in the cell culture insert provides a surface for anchorage-dependent growth and is easily removed for visualization under a microscope (2). Cell culture inserts are compatible with a range of cell lines and give the user full control over experimental conditions in drug development and research applications.

In Vitro vs. In Vivo

Testing on animal models is used to measure the safety and efficacy of new vaccines, drug treatments, cosmetics, and other chemical products. New innovations in biotechnology like cellQart Cell Culture Inserts are making it possible to replicate and even improve on types of studies that previously would have been performed in animals. Check out the table below for some pros and cons of in vitro and in vivo methods (3).

In Vitro
Pros Cons
  • Greater control of chemical/physical environment
  • Reduced costs
  • Faster results
  • Higher repeatability
  • Reduced impact on animals
  • Reduced control of electrical/mechanical environment
  • Doesn’t replicate whole organism
  • Differences between cultured and natural cells
  • Requires specialized equipment and growth media

 

References

  1. Introduction to Cell Culture. ThermoFisher Scientific. Retrieved from https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/references/gibco-cell-culture-basics/introduction-to-cell-culture
  2. Portfolio of 6-, 12-, and 24-Well cellQART® Cell Culture Inserts. cellQART®. 2020. Retrieved from https://www.sterlitech.com/cellqart-cell-culture-inserts.html
  3. Graudejus O, Ponce Wong RD, Varghese N, Wagner S and Morrison B (2019). Bridging the gap between in vivo and in vitro research: Reproducing in vitro the mechanical and electrical environment of cells in vivo. Conference Abstract: MEA Meeting 2018 | 11th International Meeting on Substrate Integrated Microelectrode Arrays. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2018.38.00069