Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University Highlights Researchers have successfully grown cells from the stony coral, Acropora tenuis, in petri dishes The cell lines were created by separating out of cells from coral larvae, which then developed into eight distinct cell types Seven out of eight cell types were stable and could grow indefinitely, remaining viable even after freezing Some of the cell types represented endoderm-like cells, and could therefore shed light on how coral interacts with photosynthesizing algae and how bleaching occurs The cell lines could be used in many avenues of coral cell research, including coral development, coral farming and the impact of climate change and pollution