Insect Cell Culture in Serum- Free Media

Historically, insect cell culture was considered a method for the production of viral pesticides (1 , 2 ). To support basic research and to explore potential replication of entomopathogenic viruses in vitro, there have been over 400 cell lines established to date from various insect species (3 ). Without exception, the cell lines described in the literature and currently in use have been isolated and established from primary cultures using serum-supplemented insect cell-culture media (4 , 5 ; see also Chapter 3 in this volume).