Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) breast cancer cell line (MCF-7)

MCF-7 is a widely utilized human breast cancer cell line established in 1973 at the Michigan Cancer Foundation [1]. Derived from the pleural effusion of a 69-year-old woman with metastatic adenocarcinoma, it has become a foundational model for studying hormone-responsive breast cancer [2, 4]. The cell line is characterized by its expression of the Estrogen Receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PR), while typically lacking HER2 amplification, classifying it within the Luminal A molecular subtype [4, 7]. MCF-7 cells are essential for screening anti-cancer drugs, particularly those targeting estrogen signaling pathways like tamoxifen and fulvestrant [2, 11]. Despite its utility, the cell line exhibits significant genetic instability and phenotypic drift across different laboratories, which can affect experimental reproducibility [4, 13]. It serves as a critical tool for investigating mechanisms of drug resistance and the molecular biology of breast cancer progression [8, 11].

Other names

MCF7Michigan Cancer Foundation-7MCF-7 cellsHuman breast adenocarcinoma cell line

As a cell line, MCF-7 is not a single molecule; however, it is primarily used to study drugs that act as Estrogen Receptor (ER) antagonists or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) [1, 2].