BioOne

The KCLB has grown into a major global cell line and organoid bank, distributing cultured cell resources to researchers worldwide.

The Korean Cell Line Bank (KCLB) has been developing and distributing cell lines since 1987, providing cell lines to domestic and international researchers for research purposes.
Since 2021, the “Cultured Cell Cluster,” one of the clusters under the Ministry of Science and ICT, has been launched, with the KCLB serving as its central institution.


The KCLB began establishing Korean-derived cell lines in 1982 and started distributing them to domestic and international researchers in 1987. Recently, distribution of organoids has also begun.
Over the past 40 years, approximately 3,300 Korean-derived cultured cells (cell lines and organoids) have been established, and recently, about 12,000 vials are distributed annually to researchers worldwide, solidifying its position as a major global cell line and organoid bank.
The KCLB has extensive experience in directly acquiring Korean-derived cultured cell resources (cell lines/organoids), analyzing their characteristics, transforming them into life science resources, and supplying them to researchers.

The KCLB, supported by the government as part of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)’s Research Material Bank (1995-2015) and National Purpose Material Bank (2014-2019), has developed, acquired, cryopreserved in bulk, and quality-controlled cell line resources for distribution to domestic and international researchers.
In 2017, it was designated as a life science resource deposit and preservation institution under the Ministry of Science and ICT, and in 2018, cell lines were selected as one of the ten national strategic life science resources.
In 2019, the KCLB was designated as the dedicated institution for national strategic life science resources (cell lines) under the Ministry of Science and ICT.

In 2020, it received government support as the dedicated institution for national strategic life science resources (cell lines).
Since 2021, it has served as the central bank of the cultured cell cluster, performing tasks such as customized cultured cell resource development, characterization and resource preparation, acquisition of cultured cell resources, contract research services, quality enhancement of resources and data, and securing cultured cell resources for disaster response.

It possesses multiple large incubators and aseptic workstations for cultured cell culture and cryopreservation, an ultra-low temperature storage system capable of storing 640,000 vials of cultured cells, backup facilities for cryopreservation, and three automated temperature-controlled cell freezers.
It operates genetic fingerprint analyzers (sequencers), spectrophotometers, automated DNA/RNA extraction equipment, two high-throughput screening (HTS) systems for compounds/anticancer drugs, phase-contrast inverted microscopes, digital inverted microscopes, and antibiotic-free cell culture facilities comparable to GMP standards.
Additionally, it operates server computers and linked backup systems for data storage and management of the central bank database.