HEK otherwise known as human embryonic kidney cells is an "immortalised" cell line derived from an aborted female fetus. An immortalised cell line is a population of cells from a multicellular organism which would normally not rapidly increase indefinitely but, due to mutation, have evaded normal cellular senescence and instead can keep undergoing division. The cells can therefore be grown for prolonged periods in vitro. HEK 293 cells have been widely used in cell biology research for many years. They are also used by the biotechnology industry to produce therapeutic proteins and viruses for gene therapy. Several vaccines and biotherapeutic proteins have been already developed using HEK 293 cells.
Alex Van der Eb originally cultured the HEK cell line in the 1973. The number 293 comes from the amount of times it took to get the experiment right.
To harvest a viable embryonic kidney for this purpose, sufficiently healthy children old enough to have adequately-developed kidneys must be removed from the womb, alive, typically by caesarean section, and have their kidneys cut out. This must take place without anaesthesia for the child, which would lessen the viability of the organs.
A comprehensive study of the genomes and transcriptomes of HEK 293 and five derivative cell lines compared the HEK 293 transcriptome with that of human kidney, adrenal, pituitary and central nervous tissue.[7] The HEK 293 pattern most closely resembled that of adrenal cells, which have many neuronal properties.
Some advantages of HEK cells are the consistency of results and three cells are highly reproducible. However, they are prone to bacterial contamination, susceptible to viral contamination, and with extended periods of culturing will result in the degradation of the cell’s health.
Besides use of HEK cells in vaccines they are also a known ingredient in food additives. A biotechnology company name Senomyx claims to have "reverse engineered" human taste and aroma receptors. Senomyx was founded by prominent biochemist Lubert Stryer in 1999. Around year 2001, Senomyx patented several flavor enhancers by using "proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems", which have been previously expressed in human cell culture, in HEK293 cells. These cells were used to enhance the flavor. Senomyx products fall under the broad category of "artificial flavors."
