cell line

American  

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a perpetuating strain of cells in laboratory culture.

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cell line British  

noun

1. biology a clone of animal or plant cells that can be grown in a suitable nutrient culture medium in the laboratory

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Etymology

Origin of cell line

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

The cell line, called "HeLa" after the patient's first and last name, was sent to research labs around the world.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Both significantly accelerated tumor growth and increased metastatic colonization in independent cell line models.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

In earlier work, an MIT researcher who was not involved in this study had switched off each gene in that cell line, one at a time, and tracked how losing that gene changed genetic activity.

From Science Daily • Dec. 16, 2025

Using a human intestinal cell line in the lab, they were able to isolate receptor DRD2 as the one that had the protective effect against infection in the presence of tryptophan metabolites.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2024

I have checked a number of the early papers describing the development of the HeLa cell line but have not been able to find any information pertaining to the race of the donor.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot