MCF-7(Michigan Cancer Foundation-7)是一種乳腺癌細胞系[1],最初在1970年分離自一名69歲的白人女性乳腺癌患者弗朗西絲·馬隆(Frances Mallon)。MCF-7是密歇根州癌症基金會-7(Michigan Cancer Foundation-7,現稱卡馬諾斯癌症研究所(英语:Karmanos Cancer Institute))的首字母縮寫,指的是赫伯特·蘇爾(Herbert Soule)及其同事在一間位於底特律的研究所建立此細胞系[2]。在建立MCF-7細胞之前,癌症研究人員不可能獲得能夠存活超過幾個月的乳腺癌細胞系[3]。1970年,一位名為弗朗西絲·馬隆的修女去世,而從她身上獲得的細胞是當前許多有關乳腺癌的知識的來源[2][4]。除此之外,利用MEDLINE書目資料庫進行調查後,發現三分之二的乳腺癌細胞系研究的摘要中都有MCF-7和另外兩個乳腺癌細胞系T-47D、MDA-MB-231[5]。
Lee, Adrian V.; et al. MCF-7 Cells—Changing the Course of Breast Cancer Research and Care for 45 Years. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1 July 2015, 107 (7): djv073. PMID 25828948. doi:10.1093/jnci/djv073.
Glodek, Cass, Ph.D., "A History of the Michigan Cancer Foundation, the Beginnings & Growth of Detroit's Anticancer Movement," 1990, page 68, Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit.
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Sflomos, George; Dormoy, Valerian; Metsalu, Tauno; Jeitziner, Rachel; Battista, Laura; Scabia, Valentina; Raffoul, Wassim; Delaloye, Jean-Francois; Treboux, Assya. A Preclinical Model for ERα-Positive Breast Cancer Points to the Epithelial Microenvironment as Determinant of Luminal Phenotype and Hormone Response. Cancer Cell. 2016, 29 (3): 407–422. PMID 26947176. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2016.02.002.