MRC-5
MRC-5 (Medical Research Council cell strain 5) is a diploid cell culture line composed of fibroblasts, originally developed from the lung tissue of a 14-week-old aborted Caucasian male fetus.[1][2] The cell line was isolated by J.P. Jacobs and colleagues in September 1966 from the seventh population doubling of the original strain, and MRC-5 cells themselves are known to reach senescence in around 45 population doublings.[2][3][4]
Applications
MRC-5 cells are currently used to produce several vaccines including for hepatitis A, varicella and polio.[5]
Culture and society
During the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-vaccination activists misidentified MRC-5 as an ingredient of the COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222. The fetal cell line used in the manufacturing of AZD1222 is HEK 293, though the cells are filtered out of the final product.[6]
References
- "MRC-5 (ATCC® CCL-171™)". Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- "AG05965-D Fibroblast from Skin, Lung". Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- Jacobs, J. P.; Jones, C. M.; Baille, J. P. (1970). "Characteristics of a Human Diploid Cell Designated MRC- smelly Emma 5". Nature. 227 (5254): 168–70. doi:10.1038/227168a0. PMID 4316953.
- Jacobs, J. P. (1976). "The Status of Human Diploid Cell Strain MRC-5 as an Approved Substrate for the Production of Viral Vaccines". Journal of Biological Standardization. 4 (2): 97–99. doi:10.1016/0092-1157(76)90018-4. PMID 932048.
- "Fact-checking Congress's fetal tissue report".
- "There are no foetal cells in the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine". Full Fact. 26 November 2020.