The Top 100 Cited Cell Lines: 2026 Report
5
Min Read
In this blog:
- The HEK293 family retains its place as the most cited cell line group
- Movement within the Top 10 shows cell line usage continues to evolve
- Download data on the Top 100 Cell Lines for your own strategic analysis
CiteAb collects information on product use in the scientific literature, curating an industry-leading life science reagent database that powers data services for suppliers & pharma companies, and a search platform to help scientists find the right products, faster.
Welcome to CiteAb’s Top 100 series for 2026!
Understanding which cell line types researchers are using in their work can help researchers and suppliers keep up with trends in this space, and spot interesting cell lines that might support future research.
Today we explore our database, sharing an analysis into the top 100 types of cell line most cited in the literature in the past year.
Data & Methodology
Using our patent-protected text mining tech, we have collected information on over 280k cell lines from over 160 suppliers.
We specifically focus on citation counts: a measure of how frequently a product appears in peer-reviewed, published research. This data helps researchers see what their peers are reaching for, and gives suppliers a leading indicator of future demand as well as insight into past research activity.
This particular analysis draws from the past year’s worth of data, across all suppliers, ranking products by citation count to determine the ‘top 100.’ In this analysis we group by cell line type, rather than individual products from different suppliers.
The Most Cited Cell Lines in the Life Sciences
HEK293 retains popularity amongst researchers
The first thing we noticed in our Top 100 Cell Line analysis was the prevalence of the HEK293 cell line group.
We commented in our 2025 Top 100 Cell Line Analysis on the growth of HEK293T, a cell line type within this group. In our 2026 analysis, it remains the top cited cell line type.
Interestingly, the standard HEK293 cell line overtook HeLa to claim the 2nd position in this year’s report.
Furthermore, the highest debut in the Top 100 list was another member of this cell line family, HEK293-FT, ranking at number 27.
HEK293-FT is used for high-titer viral vector production – the FT indicating that the cells are transfected with the SV40 large T-antigen gene that drives high-efficiency viral vector production. [1]
The growth of this cell line group indicates an expansion into gene therapy and viral vector production from the broader research community – an area worth watching for suppliers with viral vector portfolios.
Movement in the Top 10
Beyond the HEK293 family, THP-1 climbed from 6th to 4th place, breaking into the Top 5. This continues a trend we’ve noted before on our blog: the sustained rise of monocytic and immune signalling models.
Still focusing on the top 10, we noted a new entrant: the MDA-MB-231 cell line. This triple-negative breast cancer cell line saw the single largest share increase across the entire dataset.
Beyond the Top 10, we observed a number of other cancer related cell lines enter the Top 100 this year.
Examples included pancreatic and breast Cancer Lines BxPC-3 (#73), BT-549 (#74), and AsPC-1 (#85).
Cell Lines to Watch for your Research
The top of the market is far from static, with neuroscience and gene therapy related cell lines seeing strong growth
14 cell lines that didn’t feature in last year’s analysis broke into this year’s Top 100.
HMC3, a human microglial cell line we flagged as one to watch last year, has continued its climb – reinforced by our recent analysis into Alzheimer’s disease research, where it holds a strong citation share of over 4%. In this Top 100 report, it ranked in the Top 50.
Another interesting entrant into the Top 100 was Sf9 (#41, 0.36%): Also debuting in the top half of the rankings, this product is used for insect cell culture for baculovirus expression and AAV gene therapy workflows.
The biggest increase in rank was claimed by the BEAS-2B cell line, jumping into the top 30. This is an epithelial cell line, derived from normal bronchial epithelium.
Interested in trend data beyond the Top 100? Reach out to our team about our full market data services.
Wrap-Up & Data Download
By unpacking which cell lines are capturing the most interest right now, teams can better understand trends in usage and spot interesting cell lines to support the next wave of research.
Dr Andrew Chalmers, CEO of CiteAb, commented on the analysis:
“What stands out in this year’s Top 100 Cell Lines rankings is how much movement there still is at the top of an established market. Whilst these aren’t new cell lines, the rise of HEK293-FT and the continued strength of oncology and immune signalling models signals that researchers are using certain tools more as specific fields like gene therapy and neuroinflammation expand. This gives an indication of where research interest is heading.”
Download the full Top 100 Cited Cell Line list below for your own analysis. We’ll send a copy straight to your inbox.
Finally, don’t forget you can dig into more Top 100 Reports below:
References
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FAQs
We create the report by analysing our reagent database, limiting scope to cell line reagents. Cell line types are ranked by their share of citations across the past year to produce the final Top 100.
This analysis is published annually. You can find last year’s Top 100 cell lines edition here.
Sales figures are held internally by each individual company, whereas citation data spans the global market and all suppliers. Citations also give a leading indicator of future research demand, as well as an accurate past marker of sales across the market.
Citation data reveals cell line usage in real published studies. This gives product teams the edge when prioritising or refining cell line acquisitions, creation of custom tools, and licensing agreements, to better meet research need.
