Definition

A type of cell grown in the laboratory from samples of normal cells or cancer cells from patient tissue. These cells can be kept alive for as long as needed and grown to large numbers. The cells are treated with substances that cause them to resemble stem cells (cells from which other types of cells develop) and grow rapidly. Under certain conditions, CRCs can be made to look and act like the original tissue or specific type of tumor from which they came. They are used to study how cancers and other diseases form, and to test new drugs and other types of treatment before they are given to people. Also called conditionally reprogrammed cell.