A549 Lung Carcinoma Cells (A549)

A549 cells are a widely used human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, originally derived from a lung cancer biopsy in 1972. These cells have characteristics of alveolar type II epithelial cells and are employed extensively as a model system to study lung cancer biology, drug action, infection, toxicity, metabolism, and cellular responses in vitro. Their widespread use includes drug screening, molecular biology assays, adenovirus production, gene therapy development, and analysis of mechanisms such as chemoresistance. However, A549 cells are not a molecular therapeutic target but rather an experimental tool representing a cancer cell phenotype.

Other names

A549 cellsA549 cell lineHuman alveolar basal epithelial adenocarcinoma cells

Varies by drug used in experiments: e.g., microtubule stabilization (paclitaxel, docetaxel), angiogenesis inhibition (bevacizumab), DNA alkylation (cyclophosphamide). Used to screen mechanisms including apoptosis, necrosis, and chemoresistance.