MB49 Cell Line – Provenance, Ownership and Distribution
Last updated: February 2026
Abstract
MB49 is a murine bladder cancer cell line established in the late 1970s at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), Lincoln’s Inn Fields, by Leonard Franks and Ian C. Summerhayes. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) holds ownership of the MB49 cell line, and CancerTools operates as CRUK’s non‑profit research tools trading arm responsible for its authorised distribution and stewardship. CRUK previously granted MilliporeSigma a time‑limited licence to distribute MB49 between 2015 and 2024; that licence has now concluded and has not been renewed. Since 2024, CancerTools has been the sole authorised global supplier of MB49.
Origin of MB49
- Originating institution: Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), Lincoln’s Inn Fields (London)
- Researchers: Leonard Franks and Ian C. Summerhayes
- Period of establishment: Late 1970s
- Model purpose and use: MB49 has become a widely used model in bladder cancer research, supporting work across tumour biology, immunotherapy, and preclinical modelling
- Foundational publication: Summerhayes et al. 1979. J Natl Cancer Inst. 62(4):1017-23. PMID: 107359
Ownership and Intellectual Property (IP)
Ownership of the MB49 cell line sits with Cancer Research UK (CRUK). CancerTools is CRUK’s authorised, non‑profit trading arm for research tools and reagents, responsible for the distribution and stewardship of MB49 and other materials developed through CRUK‑funded research and its predecessor organisations (ICRF and the Cancer Research Campaign). Revenue generated from MB49 is reinvested into future research through CRUK.
This clear line of ownership establishes a single reference for what constitutes authentic MB49 and helps prevent the spread of altered, contaminated, or misidentified derivatives.
Licensing history
CRUK granted MilliporeSigma (formerly EMD Millipore) a direct-to-customer licence to distribute MB49 from 2015-2024. This licence did not allow onward supply to other distributors. It ended in 2024 and MilliporeSigma is no longer authorised to provide MB49.
Current distribution status
As of 2024, CancerTools distribute MB49 globally and are the only supplier. All other third-party distributors are not authorised and do not have a license from CRUK. CancerTools cannot guarantee the authenticity of such unauthorised distributors and encourage researcher caution.
Authentication, banking and handling
CancerTools operates its own collection and quality systems for MB49, with dedicated resource for provenance and researcher support. The following measures help support traceability of this cell line.
- Quality checks at banking: routine mycoplasma testing and microscopic assessment during banking to confirm culture health and expected characteristics
- Identity authentication: STR‑profiling (authentication data are available to researchers upon request)
- Controlled source material: batch records are maintained; distribution is controlled from a designated master vial to support lineage continuity
- Documented handling history: Key steps (e.g., freeze-thaw events) are recorded to maintain a clear chain of custody for each batch
Together these measures support the continuity, traceability, and integrity of MB49.
Researcher responsibilities and recommended citation
- Sourcing – researchers should obtain MB49 only from CancerTools, the authorised distributor, to ensure compliance with IP and to maintain research reproducibility
- Citation – researchers should clearly cite the authorised source: cat. 153368, CancerTools.
- Commercial and collaboration enquiries – for for-profit translational, collaboration or commercial use cases, please contact the CancerTools Licensing team
Support for labs needing to regularise use
If you suspect your lab has received an unverified or unauthorised variant of MB49, CancerTools can provide:
- Guidance on replacing material with authenticated stock
- Updated documentation for future publications
- Support to ensure ongoing compliance
