CULTURE AND TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN AIRWAY EPITHELIAL-CELLS

The culture of human airway epithelial cells has played an important r ole in advancing our understanding of the metabolic and molecular mech anisms underlying normal function and disease pathology of airway epit helial cells. Recent advances in culturing primary epithelial cells an d the development of transformed airway epithelial cell lines have bee n particularly important in enhancing our understanding of the patholo gy associated with cystic fibrosis and lung cancer. The establishment of conditions that enhance the proliferative capacity of airway epithe lial cells in primary culture was the first technical hurdle overcome in the development of in vitro culture systems. Research is now being geared toward the development of cell culture conditions that facilita te the expression in culture of the differentiated characteristics fou nd in the native epithelium. Aside from the advances that have been ma de in defining the growth media and extracellular matrixes that enhanc e the expression of differentiated features, the use of an air-liquid interface has been a significant advance in the culture of airway epit helial cells. The implementation of the in vitro cell culture systems that have now been established and the research into optimizing the co nditions for the growth of airway epithelial cells have been and will continue to be essential in the development of therapies for airway di sease.