Drug development & toxicology
Renewable liver and kidney models support repeatable ADMET, toxicity, and mechanistic screening without recurring donor variation.
Cell library collections
Immortalized Cell Lines
Passage-verified and mycoplasma-tested. Ready-to-use models for reproducible cell biology workflows.
abm has worked with cell immortalization for more than two decades and maintains a large renewable-cell library spanning human, mouse, rat, and specialty species across a broad range of tissues and organ systems.
The collection is designed for reproducible cell biology, drug discovery, disease modelling, biotechnology, and translational research, with passage verification and mycoplasma testing built into the quality workflow.
Industry pioneer since 2004Science Journal featured 201410+ species50+ tissue typesMycoplasma tested
600+
Unique cell lines
20+
Years of expertise
50+
Tissue types
Research applications
Built for diverse discovery workflows
Disease modelling
Disease-relevant lines provide durable systems for pathway studies, target validation, and longitudinal experiments.
Beauty & personal care
Skin, follicle, dermal, and related models support ingredient evaluation, ageing research, and hair biology studies.
Cultivated meat & food tech
Muscle-derived models from livestock and avian species can support alternative-protein and cellular-agriculture research.
Veterinary & pet health
Canine, feline, and less-common species broaden options for companion-animal biology and veterinary drug discovery.
Allergy & immunology
Mast-cell and immune-related models enable pathway studies and anti-allergy screening in controlled backgrounds.
Why abm immortalized lines
Commercially proven, fully characterized, and ready for scale
The original commercial provider
A long-running commercial immortalization program with broad use across research applications.
Quality-checked lines
Identity, passage history, mycoplasma status, and morphology are reviewed to support repeatable work.
600+ lines across species
Human, mouse, rat, bat, dolphin, feline, bovine, and other specialty models cover many tissue systems.
Can't find your line?
Primary cells can be immortalized to order when the catalogue does not contain the required model.
Understanding immortalized cell lines
What are immortalized cell lines?
Immortalized cell lines are engineered or selected to bypass normal replicative senescence, creating a renewable cell population that can continue dividing well beyond the lifespan of an untreated primary culture.
Primary somatic cells eventually stop dividing as telomeres shorten and cell-cycle checkpoints activate. Immortalization changes those limits, allowing a model to be expanded, banked, and reused across experiments.
That durability makes immortalized lines particularly useful for screening, genetic engineering, long-term mechanistic studies, and workflows that require consistent material at scale.
Common immortalization methods
Several established strategies can extend cell lifespan. The appropriate method depends on the tissue, intended application, and how closely the final model must preserve differentiated function.
Minimal genomic disruption
hTERT overexpression
Telomerase-driven approaches extend proliferative lifespan by maintaining telomeres and can preserve differentiated features in suitable cell types.
Broadly applicable
SV40 Large T antigen
SV40 Large T can bypass major cell-cycle checkpoints and is effective across many cell types, although extended passage can influence phenotype.
Epithelial specialist
Viral oncogenes (HPV E6/E7)
HPV-derived E6/E7 systems disrupt p53/Rb control and are frequently used for epithelial-cell immortalization.
Combination approach
Myc & Ras oncogenes
Activated growth-control genes may be used alone or in combinations to maintain proliferation when other approaches are insufficient.
Reversible & tunable
Conditional immortalization
Inducible or reversible systems allow expansion during culture and can later reduce immortalizing activity for functional studies.
Advantages of immortalized cell lines
Immortalized models complement primary cells and animal systems when a project needs consistency, scale, long-term culture, or extensive engineering.
Unlimited, consistent supply
A banked line can be expanded repeatedly, reducing dependence on new donor material and repeated tissue isolation.
Reproducibility across experiments
Stable populations help reduce experiment-to-experiment variability and make protocols easier to reproduce across laboratories.
Reduced animal use
Well-characterized in-vitro models can replace some workflows that would otherwise require repeated primary tissue collection.
Cost and workflow efficiency
Once established, an immortalized line reduces recurring procurement, screening, isolation, and expansion effort.
Compatible with genetic engineering
Long-term proliferation makes these models practical for CRISPR editing, reporters, and stable transgene integration.
Access to rare cell types
A difficult-to-source tissue or species can be banked once and shared for future research rather than repeatedly recollected.
Immortalized vs. primary cells: when to use each
The right model depends on the research question. This comparison summarizes the practical trade-offs between a renewable immortalized line and a finite primary-cell culture.
| Consideration | Immortalized cell lines | Primary cells |
|---|---|---|
| Supply & scalability | Effectively renewable from a banked stock | Limited by donor material and isolation yield |
| Reproducibility | Generally high across controlled passages | More donor-to-donor and isolation variability |
| Physiological relevance | Good for many models; phenotype may drift with passage | Typically closest to native tissue behaviour |
| Lifespan in culture | Indefinite or greatly extended | Finite and cell-type dependent |
| Genetic modification | Well suited to stable editing and reporter workflows | More difficult because expansion capacity is limited |
| Cost per experiment | Lower after establishment and banking | Higher when repeated sourcing and QC are required |
| Best suited for | Screening, mechanistic studies, engineering, longitudinal assays, scale-up | Physiological validation and shorter functional studies |
Need primary cells? Browse the Primary Cells collection.
Species
Bio system
Cell type
Search Result
1–12 of 634 products
Immortalized Human Vascular Endothelial Cells [EC-RF24]
View ProductCat. No.:T0003Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Umbilical Cord
Immortalized Human Intervertebral Disc Cartilage Endplate-Derived Stem Cells - SV40
View ProductCat. No.:T0009Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Musculoskeletal SystemCell type:Skeletal Muscle
Immortalized Mouse Articular Chondrocytes (iMAC)
View ProductCat. No.:T0010Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Mouse (M. musculus)Bio system:Musculoskeletal SystemCell type:Skeletal Muscle
Immortalized Human Umbilical Artery Endothelial Cells
View ProductCat. No.:T0011Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Umbilical Cord
Immortalized Human Umbilical Artery Smooth Muscle Cells
View ProductCat. No.:T0012Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Umbilical Cord
Immortalized Human Umbilical Vein Smooth Muscle Cells
View ProductCat. No.:T0013Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Umbilical Cord
Immortalized Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells - SV40
View ProductCat. No.:T0014Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Umbilical Cord
Immortalized Rat Cardiomyocytes
View ProductCat. No.:T0015Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Rat (R. norvegicus)Bio system:Cardiovascular SystemCell type:Heart
Immortalized Human Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (cbMSC-hTERT)
View ProductCat. No.:T0016Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Cord Blood
Immortalized Human Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stromal Cells with RFP (cbMSC-hTERT-RFP)
View ProductCat. No.:T0017Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Embryonic SystemCell type:Cord Blood
Immortalized Human Chondrocytes - hTERT & SV40T
View ProductCat. No.:T0018Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Human (H. sapiens)Bio system:Musculoskeletal SystemCell type:Cartilage
Immortalized Mouse Calvarial Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells (iCALs)
View ProductCat. No.:T0019Unit:1x10^6 cells / 1.0 ml
Species:Mouse (M. musculus)Bio system:Musculoskeletal SystemCell type:Skeletal Muscle
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about immortalized cell lines, available models, gene editing, custom immortalization, and cell handling.
What is the difference between immortalized cell lines and primary cells?+
Immortalized lines are renewable and can proliferate for extended periods, making them useful for repeatable screening, genetic engineering, and long studies. Primary cells usually preserve more native physiology but have a finite lifespan and greater donor variability.
What species and tissue types are available?+
The abm collection spans hundreds of lines across human, mouse, rat, bovine, feline, avian, bat, dolphin, primate, and other specialty species, covering many tissue and organ systems.
Can immortalized cell lines be used for CRISPR editing or stable transgene integration?+
Yes. Their expansion capacity makes immortalized lines practical starting points for CRISPR knockout, reporters, and stable-expression projects.
What if the cell line I need is not in the catalogue?+
Custom immortalization is available for project-specific primary cells and uncommon tissue or species requirements. The technical team can also help assess a suitable approach.
What methods are used for cell immortalization?+
Common strategies include hTERT expression, SV40 Large T, HPV E6/E7, oncogene-based systems, and conditional methods. The best choice depends on cell type and the biology that must be preserved.
Do immortalized lines maintain characteristics of the original tissue?+
Many lines retain important morphology, markers, and functional traits, although phenotype can change during long-term culture. Method selection, passage control, and validation are important.
How should immortalized cell lines be stored and handled?+
Long-term stocks are normally maintained in liquid nitrogen and handled with standard aseptic cell-culture practices. Following the recommended thawing, culture, and passaging instructions helps protect viability and reproducibility.
Need a model not listed?
Looking for a cell line not listed here?
The technical team can help source or immortalize a project-specific primary cell type when the catalogue does not contain the model you need.