MCF-7

MCF-7 is a breast cancer cell line isolated in 1970 from a 69-year-old White woman.

MCF-7 is the acronym of Michigan Cancer Foundation-7, referring to the institute in Detroit where the cell line was established in 1973 by Herbert Soule and co-workers.

The Michigan Cancer Foundation is now known as the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Prior to MCF-7, it was not possible for cancer researchers to obtain a mammary cell line that was capable of living longer than a few months.

The patient, Frances Mallon died in 1970. Her cells were the source of much of current knowledge about breast cancer.

At the time of sampling, she was a nun in the convent of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Monroe, Michigan under the name of Sister Catherine Frances.

MCF-7 and two other breast cancer cell lines, named T-47D and MDA-MB-231, account for more than two-thirds of all abstracts reporting studies on mentioned breast cancer cell lines, as concluded from a Medline-based survey.