The National Cell Bank of Pasteur Institute of Iran was established in 1994 in order to furnish and preserve human and animal cell lines and expand cellular-molecular services and techniques for Iranian researchers.

The Public Relations and International Affairs Department of Pasteur Institute has conducted an interview with Dr. Mehdi Farokhi, Head of the National Cell Bank of Pasteur Institute of Iran, in order to learn more about Cell Bank.

Dr. Mehdi Farokhi, an associate professor of tissue engineering has been working in the Cell Bank department of Pasteur Institute of Iran for ten years. He specializes in fabricating and characterizing tissue-engineered scaffolds and nanoparticulate systems for the regeneration of damaged tissues and drug delivery applications.

Over 400 types of different cell lines are preserved in the Cell Bank Department

The Cell Bank of Pasteur Institute of Iran was established in 1994 with only 15 cell lines. Subsequently, until 1998, about 35 more cells were added to this collection. By increasing cell lines number, some laboratories such as mycoplasma, isozyme, and karyotyping directly related to cell culture studies were developed. Currently, about 400 types of cell lines have been preserved in 20,000 cell vials in the Cell Bank. Unfortunately, with the progress in sanctions against Iran, the import of various cell lines from other countries is impossible. Accordingly, the main mission of Cell Bank was to enhance the number of cell lines by isolating and purifying different cells from various human and animal sources to improve the cellular collection. To this end, different human, rabbit, mouse, rat, plant, and insect cells have been added to the Cell Bank. The cell existed in the Cell Banks are of demand for many researchers all over the world. These cells are considered one of the main parameters for basic and medical research. For example, they are of important factor for production of human or animal vaccines, research on disease models, treatment of various diseases, including cancer, study on various drugs. Meanwhile, according to the principles of medical ethics, laboratory animals should be replaced with cell lines in research. These issues emphasize the importance of preserving, expanding, and maintaining cells in the country.

Appropriate scientific collaboration with other researchers in Iran and other countries

The Cell Bank consists of 5 faculty members and 14 staff. One of the important activities of this department is providing services relevant to the cell culture, in which a number of specialized laboratories are directly involved and other laboratories are also engaged in the field related to cell research. For instance, in the nanobiotechnology laboratory, various nanoparticles and tissue engineering scaffolds have been designed and utilized for drug delivery and treatment of the damaged tissues. In addition, polymeric nanoparticles are utilized as a nanoadjuvant in vaccines to enhance the immune systems against infection. Other laboratories in the Cell Bank are working on the differentiation of stem cells into various cell types by applying mechanical forces and 3D-printed structures. Another laboratory has been working on designing monoclonal antibodies. It is noteworthy to mention that, due to the suitable scientific potential of the Cell Bank, we have been able to develop an appropriate relationship with prestigious academic and research centers both inside and outside the country. The consequence of these collaborations is recruiting Master's, Ph.D.’s and Postdoctoral students, and publishing numerous valuable scientific articles in prestigious journals.

Working with cells is costly   and stressful

Cell culture is a very significant research tool today, but one that is also very lavish to employ. Because many components of that expense e.g., FBS, culture media, enzymes, and others are expensive. It should be noted that the price of a vial of cells in other countries is between 500 and 700 $, while currently, the price of cells in the Cell Bank is only about 12 million Rials (35$ US today).

Potential for being a pioneer cell banking in the Middle East

As per the proper potential of the cell bank, it is feasible to become the pioneer of cell banking in the Middle East. It is also probable to work on isolating immune cells for immunotherapy and cell therapy purposes. We are hoping that in the near future, by providing suitable facilities, better cell culture-related services will be provided by the National Cell Bank of Pasteur Institute of Iran.