HEK, also known as HEK293 or HEK cells, represents human embryonic kidney cells and is recognized as one of the most important mammalian transient expression systems. One of the main reasons for the popularity of this cell type is its high transfection efficiency, making it suitable for both high-level stable expression and transient transfection.
（Microscope image of HEK transfected fluorescent protein）
History of HEK Cells：
The history of HEK cells dates back to 1973 when Alex Van Der Eb and his team at Leiden University in the Netherlands cultivated these cells. A postdoctoral researcher, Frank Graham, transfected them with adenovirus 5 (Ad5) in his 293rd experiment, leading to the nomenclature based on the original cell clone generated in this experiment. Due to the presence of Ad5 E1A/B genes, HEK293 is commonly used for the production of adenoviral and adenovirus-associated viral vectors. Additionally, due to its easy maintenance, robustness and rapid growth, this cell line and its derivatives are commonly used in biotechnology, such as the expression of recombinant antibodies in biopharmaceuticals and cell biology research.
（Hu J, et al. Cells Tissues Organs. 2018）
HEK Cell Lines：
HEK293T: Expresses the SV40T antigen gene, leading to the amplification of expression vectors and ultimately increasing the expression of the gene of interest.
HEK293F: A wild-type HEK strain that grows rapidly in serum-free culture media, exhibiting high levels of protein expression.
HEK293E: Expresses EBNA1, which promotes the nuclear transfer of free DNA, thereby enhancing enhancer activity and protein production.
HEK293S: Suitable for low-Ca2+ culture medium suspension growth and cultivation. Subsequently, the 293S cells undergo methanesulfonic acid mutagenesis and ricin toxin selection modification, integrating the pcDNA6/TR plasmid to produce 293SG. The 293SG cells are then transformed with the pcDNA3.1-zeo-STendoT plasmid to generate 293SGGD cells for protein expression with glycoengineering modifications.
Advantages of HEK Cells：
⭕ Rapid doubling time (approximately 36 hours).
⭕ Easy to culture.
⭕ Can grow as adherent or suspension cultures.
⭕ High reproducibility and general consistency.
⭕ Produces large amounts of recombinant proteins, especially those in plasmid vectors containing the CMV promoter.
⭕ Transient and stable gene expression.
⭕ Easily transfected through physical and chemical methods.
We have developed a proprietary HEK cell antibody expression platform to meet the growing demand for recombinant antibody technology in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, diagnostics and academia. This serum-free mammalian transient expression system provides a faster and more economical alternative for generating stable cell lines, allowing rapid production of high-purity recombinant antibodies with low endotoxin levels in HEK cells.