Scientists study the behaviour of isolated cells grown in the laboratory for insights into how cells function in the body in health and disease. Experiments using cell culture are used for developing new diagnostic tests and new treatments for diseases. This is a list of major breast cancer cell lines that are primarily used in breast cancer research.[Notes 1]
| Cell line | Primary tumor | Origin of cells | Estrogen receptors | Progesterone receptors | ERBB2 amplification | Mutated TP53[Notes 2] | Tumorigenic in mice | Reference | External links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600MPE | Invasive ductal carcinoma | + | – | – | [3] | Cellosaurus | |||
| AMJ13 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Primary | Yes | Yes | No | - | - | [4] | Cellosaurus |
| AU565 | Adenocarcinoma | – | – | + | – | [3] | Cellosaurus | ||
| BT-20 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Primary | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | [5] | Cellosaurus |
| BT-474 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Primary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [6] | Cellosaurus |
| BT-483 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | + | + | – | [3] | Cellosaurus | |||
| BT-549 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | – | – | + | [3] | Cellosaurus | |||
| Evsa-T | Invasive ductal carcinoma, mucin-producing, signet-ring type | Metastasis (ascites) | No | Yes | ? | Yes | ? | [7] | Cellosaurus |
| Hs578T | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Primary | No | No | No | Yes | No | [8] | Cellosaurus |
| MCF-7 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Metastasis (pleural effusion) | Yes | Yes[9] | No | No (wild-type) | Yes (with estrogen supplementation) | [10] | Cellosaurus |
| MDA-MB-231 | Adenocarcinoma | Metastasis (pleural effusion) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | [11] | Cellosaurus |
| SkBr3 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Metastasis (pleural effusion) | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | [12] | Cellosaurus |
| T-47D | Invasive ductal carcinoma | Metastasis (pleural effusion) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (with estrogen supplementation) | [13] | Cellosaurus |
| ZR-75-1 | Invasive ductal carcinoma | [14] | Cellosaurus |
