Cell Culture Versus
Cell Growing
Functional Tumor
Cell Profiling is performed on living cancer cells using
a technique called "cell culturing."
Culturing cells just means keeping them alive in the laboratory long
enough to see how the different anti-cancer drugs will affect them.
Keeping cells alive involves the use of special incubators, CO2-controlled
environments, nutrients, antibiotics and much more.
Many people ask us if we actually “grow” their cells in the
laboratory. What they really are
asking is, do we test to see if the cells multiply in number.
The answer is, no, we do not grow cancer cells.
There are many problems associated with the older, “cell growing”
approach. Several years ago, to
overcome some of these problems, Dr. Weisenthal pioneered an entirely
different method called the “cell death” approach.
This approach tests whether or not cancer cells actually are killed
by the various anti-cancer drugs.
Dr. Weisenthal’s approach has replaced the cell growing approach in
most laboratories worldwide.