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What are the differences between adherent cells and suspension cells?
Posted March 31, 2021
Answer
While adherent cells and suspension cells refer to types of cell culture techniques, there are some stark differences between the two methods.
| Suspension Cells | Adherent Cells |
| Refers to cells that are grown suspended (i.e., free-floating) in a liquid medium either as single cells or as free-floating clumps. | Refers to cells that are grown in a single layer attached to a solid surface, such as a flask or petri dish supplemented with a culture medium |
| Suitable for cell lines that are non-adhesive and adapted to suspension cells | Suitable for most cell types and primary cultures |
| Anchorage-independent culture | Anchorage dependent culture |
| It does not require a tissue culture treated vessel | Requires a tissue culture treated vessel |
| Requires agitation during growth | Does not require agitation during growth |
| Easier to passage | Requires periodic passaging |
| Cells do not require enzymatic or mechanical dissociation | Cells can be dissociated enzymatically or mechanically |
| Growth is limited by cell density | Growth is limited by surface area |
| High-yielding | Low-yielding |
| Used for bulk protein production and batch harvesting | Used in cytology and for harvesting products continuously |
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