Human umbilical vein endothelial cell

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are cells derived from the endothelium of veins from the umbilical cord. They are used as a laboratory model system for the study of the function and pathology of endothelial cells (e.g., angiogenesis). They are used due to their low cost, and simple techniques for isolating them from umbilical cords, which are normally resected after childbirth. HUVECs were first isolated and cultured in vitro in the 1970s by Jaffe and others. HUVECs can be easily made to proliferate in a laboratory setting. Like human umbilical artery endothelial cells they exhibit a cobblestone phenotype when lining vessel walls.