Human Cell Lines

Human Cells

This Category includes information about Human Cells (historically from aborted fetal tissue) used for the production of vaccines.

Cell substrates are the actual cells used to produce vaccines. Cell substrates can be of human or animal origin (including insect) and/or unicellular organisms, such as bacteria or yeast.

Cell substrates are categorized as primary cells (derived directly from an animal source (such as eggs) and that are not stored as cell banks), diploid cells (stored as cell banks prior to use in vaccine manufacture), or continuous cells (cells that are grown a certain way so that they divide forever; called “immortal” because they do not die – which, by definition, is a cancer cell).