The Human and Animal Cell Culture Collection was established in 1989. The tasks of the collection include:

The staff of the collection includes scientists from the following specialities: cell biology, cytogenetics, immunology, molecular biology, mycoplasma and virus diagnostics. Particular emphasis is placed on a program of extensive quality and identity control and on characterization of the cell lines. Modern and new techniques are regularly evaluated with regard to their specificity, sensitivity, reliability, speed, costs and overall usefulness in order to ensure that the best technology is employed in these control programs.

Currently, the DSMZ Cell Lines Bank holds mainly continuous, immortalized cell lines (unless otherwise indicated in the catalogue). The term "continuous cell line" has been defined by the Terminology Committee of the Tissue Culture Association as follows (Schaeffer, In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. 26: 97-101, 1990): "A culture which is apparently capable of an unlimited number of population doublings; often referred to as immortal cell culture." The research concerns the hematopoietic cell lines, i.e. human leukemia-lymphoma cell lines.

---