Hamster Tumor Cells

Hamster tumour cells are of great importance to cancer research because they are chemically and virally transformable. These are good models to study the fundamental processes of cancer development. Immunologically, they provide different perspectives on tumor-immune system interactions than mouse models. Some hamster cancer lines are aggressive, resembling late stage human tumours, including highly metastatic forms of sarcoma. These traits, together with their capacity to analyse spontaneous and produced tumours in rodent systems, make hamsters valuable models in many scientific domains.

Our diverse tumour models in hamsters fulfil several research requirements. Our Niic panel of sarcoma lines are highly metastatic and well characterised for studies of tumour dissemination. The HKT-1097 kidney tumour model allows for the investigation of chemically induced neoplasms. The collection contains specialised models such as HAP-T1 pancreatic cancer and modified cell lines CHO-SSR1 and CHO-SSR2. We also provide non-tumorigenic control lines for comparison. These Syrian and Chinese hamster models offer the researcher options.

CHO-SSR1 and CHO-SSR2 modified hamster cell lines are widely used in biomedical research. They are mostly used to investigate gene function in tumour biology and signaling pathways in cellular transformation. These modified lines are also basis for biopharmaceutical recombinant protein expression platforms, in addition to cancer research. These are used as reporter systems in high throughput drug screening operations. These transgenic lines display transformation-specific molecular and cellular changes that lead to cancer as contrasted to their non-transformed counterparts.

Most hamster tumor cell lines thrive under standard mammalian cell culture conditions, typically maintained at 37°C with 5% CO₂ in common media formulations like DMEM or RPMI supplemented with fetal bovine serum. Specialised lines, however, might require optimal conditions for phenotypic preservation. Highly metastatic lines are useful for invasion studies when grown on modified extracellular matrices that better mimic the in vivo milieu. Growth media for hormone-responsive cell lines may require hormonal supplementation. Line growth kinetics and adhesion characteristics can also effect transit and subculturing. Full culture procedures for each cell line, particular to the cell type, are provided to guide researchers to optimal growth conditions.