PC12 cells are cell lines derived from rat adrenal medulla (rat brain). They have all the features of neurons except they are cancer cells so they keep on dividing continuously. It makes them perfect models to mimic neurons in cell culture. Why can’t we use neurons instead? Well because neurons (unlike cancer cells) can’t continuosly divide so they die after a while we can’t keep them on forever in cell culture.
So PC12 cells are neuronal cancer cells. Non-PC12 cells are any cell which is not PC12.
The point of my experiment is that I can selectively target a specific cell type. This is really difficulty which is why we can’t treat many diseases. For instance, you can kill cancer cells so easily using different methods BUT the problem is you kill normal, healthy cells along so it doesn’t make sense. It is very hard to target specific cells. This is what I’m developing in my project.
What you see in the figure I showed in my profile page is, when I send a vector which has a fluorescent protein gene in it, you only see a fluorescence in the PC12 cells which is the target but no fluorescence in any other cell types. See some fluorescent cell pictures at https://disease13.imascientist.org.au/wp-content/Cimy_User_Extra_Fields/13/yagizalpaksoy/Yagiz-Fluorescent-plates.png (that’s what I do when I’m bored)
The magic is in the synthetic promoter which I am engineering so I can target anything I want. So hopefully I will be able to selectively destroy a specific cell type using my system.
roxysurfingchic
PC12 cells are cell lines derived from rat adrenal medulla (rat brain). They have all the features of neurons except they are cancer cells so they keep on dividing continuously. It makes them perfect models to mimic neurons in cell culture. Why can’t we use neurons instead? Well because neurons (unlike cancer cells) can’t continuosly divide so they die after a while we can’t keep them on forever in cell culture.
So PC12 cells are neuronal cancer cells. Non-PC12 cells are any cell which is not PC12.
The point of my experiment is that I can selectively target a specific cell type. This is really difficulty which is why we can’t treat many diseases. For instance, you can kill cancer cells so easily using different methods BUT the problem is you kill normal, healthy cells along so it doesn’t make sense. It is very hard to target specific cells. This is what I’m developing in my project.
What you see in the figure I showed in my profile page is, when I send a vector which has a fluorescent protein gene in it, you only see a fluorescence in the PC12 cells which is the target but no fluorescence in any other cell types. See some fluorescent cell pictures at https://disease13.imascientist.org.au/wp-content/Cimy_User_Extra_Fields/13/yagizalpaksoy/Yagiz-Fluorescent-plates.png (that’s what I do when I’m bored)
The magic is in the synthetic promoter which I am engineering so I can target anything I want. So hopefully I will be able to selectively destroy a specific cell type using my system.
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