Luciferase Reporter Cell Line - MHCC97-H

The MHCC97-H cell line is a well-characterized human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line derived from its parental cell line, MHCC97. The MHCC97 cell line itself was established by the Liver Cancer Institute at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, from a patient with primary liver cancer. Among the numerous sublines within the MHCC series, MHCC97-H is particularly renowned for its exceptionally high metastatic potential, making it one of the most widely utilized models for investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying HCC invasion, metastasis, and disease progression. This cell line exhibits a highly aggressive phenotypic profile, specifically characterized by robust migratory and invasive capabilities in vitro. In in vivo studies, when implanted into immunodeficient mouse models, these cells consistently form metastatic foci, with the lungs and lymph nodes serving as the primary sites of metastasis. The MHCC97-H Luciferase Reporter Cell Line is a genetically engineered derivative of the parental MHCC97-H line, in which the firefly luciferase (Luc) reporter gene has been stably transduced and integrated into the cellular genome. Because the luciferase expression cassette is stably integrated into the host cell's genome, the reporter gene maintains consistent and uniform activity throughout cell passaging, thereby eliminating the need for the cumbersome process of transient transfection prior to each experiment.

The MHCC97-H Luciferase Reporter Cell Line serves as a powerful and versatile research tool, widely applicable across various preclinical and translational medicine studies within the field of hepatocellular carcinoma research. One of its most prominent applications lies in in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI), a technique that enables the real-time monitoring of tumor growth dynamics, metastatic dissemination, and therapeutic responses in both orthotopic and ectopic xenograft mouse models. This capability for real-time tracking and monitoring is particularly critical for evaluating the efficacy of novel anticancer therapies—a category encompassing a diverse range of agents such as small-molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint blockers, and nanomedicine-based drug delivery systems. Beyond in vivo applications, the MHCC97-H-Luc cell line serves as an indispensable tool for conducting a wide range of in vitro experiments. Luciferase can be utilized as a detection marker in assays involving cell proliferation, cytotoxicity assessment, and apoptosis studies. Furthermore, this reporter cell line is highly suitable for high-throughput screening (HTS) platforms within drug discovery pipelines; in such settings, the bioluminescent signal generated by the cells serves as a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective endpoint indicator for evaluating the activity of compounds against hepatocellular carcinoma cells.