Human cell lines available free for research

IN ITS quest to add to the world's knowledge of hematology and leukemia, the Fujisaki Cell Centre in Okayama, Japan, a division of the Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories Limited, says that the cell lines at the centre will be available free for research purposes for researchers around the world.

The centre has the world's largest human hematopoietic cell bank in the world, stored in liquid nitrogen containers (at minus 196 degree C) at the Cell centre at Okayama (address: 675-1, Fujisaki, Okayama 702-8006; e-mail: fcch@hayashibara.co.jp).

The centre stores over 700 kinds of human cell lines, a majority of which originated from leukemia patients. These cells, shipped from around the world, are kept in about 25,000 ampules. The cells are propagated and, after examining their characteristics, gradually cooled down to minus 80 degree Celsius and finally stored at minus 196 degree Celsius in liquid nitrogen. The reason that the company says it is willing to share the cell bank is this: since the cells are obtained through the efforts and commitment of many researchers, it is only fair that this is available to anybody who needs them.

``Science and technology will advance only with an attitude of openness. In support of this idea, we are dedicated to supplying these precious cell lines to researchers worldwide as basic experimental materials for the study of life science,'' the company says. As much as 200 bits of data have been gathered about each cell line. This data too is made available on specific requests.

The Fujisaki cell centre conducts basic research to understand the mechanisms of growth and other activities of cells. The main research activities include analyses of cell surface membrane antigens, induction of cell differentiation (to identify nutrients or other factors produced by cells that are required in early maturation stages), production of bioactive substances and genetic analyses. One of the letters adorning the walls of the Fujisaki Institute is from the former Prime Minister, Morarji Desai. He had written to the centre to urge them to study and ``determine the efficacies of the auto urine therapy.'' ``Developing countries in Asia and Africa are especially in need of such treatment which does not require huge investments and which is also easy to practice,'' he said in the letter written on March 17, 1992.

Hayashibara group's centre at Okayama took up the study around the same time since there were some ``very active groups'' in Japan too which supported the urine therapy. But after conducting researching for around five years the Centre found ``nothing conclusive'' and subsequently gave up research on the Auto urine therapy project.

R.K. Radhakrishnan

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