Saving Lives with Chinese Hamsters

摘要

Before working on the Society for Biological Engineers'(SBE)Special Section titled"From Chinese Hamsters to Therapeutic Proteins"(pp.33-52),I thought of hamsters more as pets than as life-saving animals.Research on hamsters,particularly Chinese hamsters(Cricetulus griseus),has been taking place for quite some time.In fact,the first Chinese hamster ovary(CHO)cells were established about half a century ago,and the first therapeutic protein synthesized using CHO cells was approved for clinical use 20 years ago(pp.40-47).Today,the CHO cell line is used to produce roughly 70% of all recombinant therapeutic proteins.On p.37,you'll find a table listing the various FDA-approved biologics produced from this cell line.