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Biosafety of Mammalian Cell Cultures

Basler Forum Technik & Gesellschaft 1993

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As any industrial activity, applications of mammalian cell cultures on laboratory and production scale are supposed to be safe for the personnel, the product and the environment.
Due to the complex growth requirements (e.g. osmotic pressure, nutrients), mammalian cells do not survive outside a well controlled and specifically designed environment. In fact, longtime handling experience has indicated that cell cultures per se do not exhibit any hazard potential. Hazards, however, may arise from adventitious agents such as microbial and viral contaminants.
The Basel Forum on Biosafety 1993 will survey applications of mammalian cell cultures and the possible hazards related to adventitious agents. The hazard potential will be discussed on the basis of accumulated scientific knowledge and case studies on particular occupational infections. Subsequently the fundamental concepts of testing programmes for mammalian cell cultures to ensure biosafety for products and personnel will be outlined. The programme is completed by a presentation of the EC directives on the safety of products derived from mammalian cell cultures. The topics will be reviewed by experts of the relevant disciplines but emphasis is placed on an interactive discussion of biosafety issues by all participants.

• Applications of mammalian cell cultures: Setting the scene
  W. Berthold, Dr. K. Thomae GmbH, Biberach
• Hazard potential from mycoplasms
  B. Heinrich, V. Kamla, Heinrich-Heine Uni Düsseldorf, FRG
• Hazard potential from viruses, retroviruses, oncogenes
• H. Diggelmann, ISREC, Lausanne
• Case study: Occupational infection with Marburg virus
  W. Slenczka, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, FRG
• Case study: Occupational infection with HIV
  D.K. Henderson, National Institute of Health, (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
• Testing of cell lines for adventitious agents
  D. Onions, Uni of Glasgow, Glasgow, GB