The European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures (ECACC) was established in 1985 as a cell culture collection to service the research community and provide an International Depository Authority recognised patent depository for Europe. Over the last 30 years ECACC has expanded and diversified to become one of the premier collections of authenticated cell cultures in the world and this remains the core of ECACC’s business. The collections currently hold over 40,000 cell lines representing 45 different species, 50 tissue types, 300 HLA types, 450 monoclonal antibodies and at least 800 genetic disorders.

The development and maintenance of such a diverse collection has inevitably produced a high level of specialist knowledge and this, combined with the support of Public Health England, has enabled ECACC to position itself as a centre of expertise in all aspects of cell culture. ECACC has developed a comprehensive range of cell culture services and diversified into new product areas such as high quality genomic DNA extracted from cell lines.

ECACC is one of the four collections of the Culture Collections of Public Health England. As has been the case since its inception, ECACC continues to operate out of the Porton Down site, which is part of Public Health England, UK.