CI-huMEC are immortalized human microvascular endothelial cells. Microvascular endothelial cells line the walls of small blood vessels, so called microvessels. They are essential for many physiological processes in the microvasculature including maintaining the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, regulating blood flow, facilitating nutrient exchange, participating in immune responses, and contributing to angiogenesis.
CI-huMEC are dermis-derived microvascular endothelial cells.
Characteristics
- Expression of endothelial markers CD31, TIE1, TIE2 and CD309
- Tube formation in Matrigel
- Growth in 3D spheroids in low-attachment plates
Buying and Ordering the Cells
For non-profit organizations, cells are available for perpetual academic research under the Limited Research Use License. To request a quote, please email us at or use the contact form provided below.
For-profit entities can purchase cells for commercial use starting with an Evaluation Agreement for preliminary testing. This is followed by custom, non-exclusive licensing agreements tailored to your needs. For further details, reach out to us at or via the contact form below.
Supplied as
Each license includes 1 vial of >0.5Mio viable cells. Additional or replacement vials can be purchased for a fee of 450€.
- angiogenesis in vitro
- Expression of endothelial markers CD31, TIE1, TIE2, CD309
- Tube formation
Product Details
CI-huMECs at low and high confluency, cultured in huMEC Medium (Cat.-No. INS-ME-1012) on Gelatin Coating Solution (Cat.-No. INS-SU-1015) as a 2D monolayer.
Coming Soon!
Stay tuned for comprehensive details on our cell line characteristics and corresponding protocols, which will be available here shortly.
We recommend the following reagents for the cell culture of this cell line:
Growth Medium: huMEC Medium (INS-ME-1012)
Coating: Endothelial Coating Solution (INS-SU-1022)
Freezing Medium: Freezing Medium A (INS-SU-1004)
Please note that while you may be able to adapt the cells to different cell culture reagents, we can only guarantee optimal performance using the recommended reagents.
- Product Sheet including all relevant protocols and instructions (PDF)
- Material Safety Data Sheet (PDF)
- Request CoA (Email)
Coming Soon!
Stay tuned for comprehensive protocols for this cell line, from routine cell cultures to assay manuals.
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
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Product FAQ
For the best performance of this cell line, we advise using our Medium and Coating Solutions specified in the product sheet. These have been specially optimized for these cells. While it may be possible to adapt the cells to a different medium, we cannot assure their optimal performance outside our recommended Medium and Coating Solution. To validate any new culturing conditions, we suggest conducting comparative tests with our recommended protocols to confirm the cells‘ expected behavior.
All our cell lines were immortalized using our custom library of immortalization genes. This library contains a combination of specifically selected immortalization genes encoded in lentiviruses. For a detailed description of our immortalization technology refer to Lipps et al. Nat comm vol. 9,1 994. 2018.
Firstly, it is worth mentioning that passage number is not always a reliable indicator of cell ageing due to its dependence on variables like seeding densities and split ratios. However, they can provide useful guidance in routine cell culture.
Our cell lines are truly immortalized, allowing for indefinite culturing. Nonetheless, we advise caution beyond passage 50. While more stable than typical cancer cell lines, our cells can still undergo changes with prolonged culture. We recommend periodically assessing cell performance after passage 50.
Typically, our immortalized cells are provided at passages 5 to 15. To avoid running out of material, we suggest banking cells immediately after initial expansion. This strategy ensures you always have sufficient cells for your research.
Should there be any concerns about depleting your cell stock, you have the option to order a new vial of cells as a replacement for a handling fee.
This cell line is BSL 1 according to German legislation. However, persons working with such cell lines and their employers are required to familiarize themselves with the national regulations and safety precautions, as they may differ. Our provided biosafety classification does not provide any exemption from this responsibility.
Yes, you can use our immortalized cell lines for commercial purposes with the appropriate license. We provide an initial evaluation phase for our cell lines at a flat fee of €3,500 for a 3-month license, or €5,000 for a 6-month license. During this period, use of the cells is limited to internal research, development, and validation.
For commercial use beyond the evaluation phase, we offer various licensing options, such as:
- Internal research and development
- CRO license (providing research services to third parties)
- Assay license
Please contact us to find the licensing option that best fits your needs.
Our immortalized cell lines are fully characterized and can be expanded indefinitely, making them a one-time purchase for perpetual use. This differs from primary cells, which are consumables you would need to repurchase. The licensing model not only respects the perpetual use value but also allows us to adjust fees based on your specific use case. Consider two scenarios: Customer A wants the cells for a single assay at one site for a limited time, while Customer B plans to use them globally across multiple sites for drug discovery and additionally transfer them to a CRO. Charging both customers the same one-time fee would not account for the vastly different use cases. That’s why our license fees are tailored to fit your unique needs.
Literature and Reference
Lipps, Christoph, et al. ‘Expansion of Functional Personalized Cells with Specific Transgene Combinations’. Nature Communications, vol. 9, no. 1, Mar. 2018, p. 994, https://doi.org10.1038/s41467-018-03408-4.
Dienemann, Sandra et al. “Comparative analysis of hypoxic response of human microvascular and umbilical vein endothelial cells in 2D and 3D cell culture systems.” Journal of cellular physiology vol. 238,5 (2023): 1111-1120. doi:10.1002/jcp.31002
We love to hear about your research! Please let us know if you have published using our cells.