WARF TECHNOLOGIES

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer, with around 3 million cases diagnosed each year. BCC involves the basal cells, which are in the deepest layer of the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin. While the mortality rate from BCC is low because it rarely metastasizes, BCC can spread to adjacent skin tissue and cause serious disfigurement. The molecular basis of BCC pathogenesis is not well understood, and there is currently no immortalized, cultured BCC cell line to use in researching this disease.

UW-Madison researchers have created the first immortalized BCC cell line. To create the cell line, a carcinoma was removed from the leg of a patient, and the cells were treated with trypsin and grown on media with amino acids and L-glutamine but without calcium. The medium was further supplemented with various growth factors and bovine serum. After the third passage, the cells were plated in a standard serum-containing medium. The cells were stable through the 39th passage.

• Researching the biology of BCC
• Drug screening assays to treat BCC

• First human BCC cell line

Tech Fields

• Research Tools : Cell lines