CTX Cells
General information
| Description | CTX (also designated CTX0E03) is a conditionally immortalized human neural stem cell line derived from first-trimester human fetal cortical neuroepithelium. The line was generated by retroviral integration of a c-mycERTAM fusion transgene, which drives cell proliferation only in the presence of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT). In the absence of 4-OHT and in mitogen-free medium, CTX0E03 cells undergo growth arrest and differentiate into neurons and astrocytes, retaining multipotent differentiation capacity. The line is clonal, has a normal human karyotype (46,XY), and was developed under GMP-compatible conditions for potential clinical application. CTX0E03 has been evaluated in preclinical models of ischemic stroke (MCAo rat model), where implanted cells promoted significant recovery in sensorimotor function. The line has entered clinical trials for stroke therapy. It is also used as an in vitro model for neural stem cell biology, cortical neuron differentiation, Alzheimer’s disease research (Abeta toxicity studies), and neuropharmacological screening. The conditional immortalization system makes CTX0E03 particularly suitable for safety and efficacy studies, as proliferation can be switched off by removal of 4-OHT prior to transplantation. |
|---|---|
| Organism | Human |
| Tissue | Brain (cerebral cortex) |
| Disease | Normal fetal cortical neuroepithelium; conditionally immortalized neural stem cell line |
| Applications | Neural stem cell biology; cortical neuron differentiation; stroke research; neurodegenerative disease modeling; Alzheimer’s disease research; neuropharmacological screening; cell therapy research |
Characteristics
| Morphology | Neural stem cell-like (bipolar, elongated) |
|---|---|
| Cell type | Neural stem cells |
| Growth properties | Adherent (on laminin-coated surfaces) |
Regulatory Data
| Citation | CTX (Cytion catalog number 305358) |
|---|---|
| Biosafety level | 1 |
| NCBI_TaxID | 9606 |
| CellosaurusAccession | CVCL_C2BI |
| GMO Status | GMO-S1: Contains a single-copy retroviral c-mycERTAM conditional immortalization transgene. Proliferation is 4-OHT-dependent. Not tumorigenic in vivo. This classification applies within Germany; regulations may differ in other jurisdictions. |
Biomolecular Data
Handling
| Culture Medium | DMEM, w: 4.5 g/L Glucose, w: 4 mM L-Glutamine, w: 3.7 g/L NaHCO3, w: 1.0 mM Sodium pyruvate (Cytion article number 820300a) |
|---|---|
| Supplements | Supplement the medium with 10% FBS |
| Dissociation Reagent | Accutase, 5 min., 37°C |
| Doubling time | 50 to 60 hours |
| Subculturing | When 70–80% confluent, aspirate medium, wash with PBS (Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺-free), add Accutase and incubate 5–10 min at 37°C. Neutralize with complete medium, centrifuge at 300 × g for 5 min, resuspend in fresh medium with 4-OHT, and replate on pre-coated flasks. Coat flasks with laminin (10 μg/ml in PBS) 1 h at 37°C prior to plating. |
| Split ratio | 1 to 3 |
| Seeding density | 1 to 3 × 104 cells/cm2 |
| Fluid renewal | Every 3 to 5 days (depending on confluency) |
| Incubation Atmosphere | 37°C, 5% CO2, humidified atmosphere. |
Quality Control & Molecular Analysis
Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
| Lot Number | Certificate Type | Date | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 305358-180526 | Certificate of Analysis | 03. Jul. 2026 | 305358 |