CT26-Luc

CT26-Luc is a bioluminescent derivative of the murine CT26 colon adenocarcinoma cell line, engineered to stably express a firefly luciferase reporter gene. The parental CT26 cell line was established from an N-nitroso-N-methylurethane-induced undifferentiated colon carcinoma in a BALB/c mouse and is one of the most widely used syngeneic tumor models for preclinical immuno-oncology research. CT26 cells exhibit aggressive growth characteristics, including rapid proliferation and high tumorigenic potential in immunocompetent BALB/c hosts, closely mimicking aspects of human colorectal cancer biology.

The stable integration of a luciferase reporter in CT26-Luc enables sensitive, quantitative bioluminescent imaging (BLI) of tumor burden in living animals. Following administration of the luciferin substrate, the emitted light signal correlates with metabolically active tumor cell number, facilitating noninvasive longitudinal monitoring of tumor growth, metastatic dissemination, and treatment responses. This makes CT26-Luc especially valuable for preclinical studies evaluating checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic antibodies, oncolytic viruses, and combination treatment strategies in an immune-competent setting.

CT26-Luc retains the key biological features of the parental CT26 line, including its sensitivity to immune-mediated killing and its established use in studies of tumor immunology, adoptive cell therapy, and cancer vaccine development. The addition of the luciferase reporter substantially increases experimental throughput and sensitivity, enabling real-time assessment of therapeutic efficacy and tumor kinetics over the course of treatment without sacrificing animals at individual time points.

37°C, 5% CO₂, humidified atmosphere.

1. Confirm that the vial remains deeply frozen upon delivery, as cells are shipped on dry ice to maintain optimal temperatures during transit.

2. Upon receipt, either store the cryovial immediately at temperatures below -150°C to ensure the preservation of cellular integrity, or proceed to step 3 if immediate culturing is required.

3. For immediate culturing, swiftly thaw the vial by immersing it in a 37°C water bath with clean water and an antimicrobial agent, agitating gently for 40-60 seconds until a small ice clump remains.

4. Perform all subsequent steps under sterile conditions in a flow hood, disinfecting the cryovial with 70% ethanol before opening.

5. Carefully open the disinfected vial and transfer the cell suspension into a 15 ml centrifuge tube containing 8 ml of room-temperature culture medium, mixing gently.

6. Centrifuge the mixture at 200 x g for 5 minutes, carefully discard the supernatant containing freezing medium.

7. Follow the procedure described under Post-Thaw Recovery

For long-term preservation, place vials in vapor-phase liquid nitrogen at about −150 to −196 °C. Storage at −80 °C is acceptable only as a short interim step before transfer to liquid nitrogen.

Cryopreserved cell lines are shipped on dry ice in validated, insulated packaging with sufficient refrigerant to maintain approximately −78 °C throughout transit. On receipt, inspect the container immediately and transfer vials without delay to appropriate storage.

At Cytion, we stand behind the quality and viability of our products. We guarantee that our cells will be viable at the start of culture for 60 days after shipment from our facilities. We assure that all materials conform to the specifications described in the Certificate of Analysis and/or Product Sheet.

For full details, please refer to our Warranty Statement.