SK-BR-3-Luc

SK-BR-3-Luc is a bioluminescent derivative of the human SK-BR-3 breast adenocarcinoma cell line, engineered to stably express a firefly luciferase reporter gene. The parental SK-BR-3 cell line was established from a pleural effusion metastasis of a breast adenocarcinoma in a 43-year-old Caucasian female patient and is characterized by HER2 (ERBB2) gene amplification and overexpression, classifying it as a HER2-positive breast cancer model. SK-BR-3 cells exhibit epithelial-like monolayer growth and are widely used to study HER2-driven breast cancer biology and to evaluate HER2-targeted therapies including trastuzumab, lapatinib, pertuzumab, and antibody-drug conjugates such as trastuzumab-deruxtecan.

The stable luciferase integration in SK-BR-3-Luc enables sensitive, quantitative bioluminescence imaging (BLI) of tumor burden in xenograft models in immunocompromised hosts. The emitted luminescent signal correlates with viable tumor cell number, supporting noninvasive longitudinal monitoring of tumor engraftment, growth kinetics, and therapeutic response. SK-BR-3-Luc is particularly valuable for preclinical evaluation of anti-HER2 agents, ADCs, bispecific antibodies, and combination strategies targeting the HER2 signaling axis in breast cancer, as well as for high-throughput drug screening and in vivo pharmacodynamic studies.

SK-BR-3-Luc retains the established HER2-amplified molecular phenotype and growth characteristics of the parental SK-BR-3 line. The luciferase reporter substantially enhances experimental throughput and sensitivity for in vivo imaging studies. Researchers should confirm luciferase activity, HER2 amplification status, and growth kinetics under their specific experimental conditions prior to large-scale preclinical use.

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.