- General information
- Safety
- Equipment & Materials
- Basic techniques
- Aseptic Technique
- Passaging Cells
- Freezing Cells
- Thawing Cells
- Counting Cells with a Hemocytometer
- Related Posts
- All Posts in This Series
General information
Just as bacteria are cultured on a petri dish, cells can be cultured in a laboratory, although this is more difficult and requires different techniques.
Cell culture is a technique commonly used in biological and biomedical research for studying the physiology and genetics of cells.
Cell culture is widely used in areas such as cancer research, drug discovery, immunology, and toxicology.
Safety
Cell culture involves the risk of exposure to pathogens and toxins. It requires proper personal protective equipment, typically including gloves, a lab coat and safety glasses. It also requires proper disposal of biohazards and toxic chemicals.
Cell cultures are very susceptible to bacterial and fungal contamination. Use of proper techniques are required to avoid contamination of the cell cultures which can result in a significant setback to a research lab.
Equipment & Materials
Equipment
A biosafety cabinet (laminar flow hood) provides a sterile environment to prevent contamination while handling cells and reagents.
A CO₂ incubator maintains the optimal temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels required for cell growth.
An inverted microscope allows for the observation of cell morphology and growth without disturbing the culture.
A centrifuge is used to separate cells from the culture media during harvesting or washing steps.
A water bath ensures even and controlled warming of culture media or reagents to prevent thermal shock to cells.
An autoclave sterilizes reusable equipment and materials to prevent contamination.
A freezer is used for long-term storage of cells.
A pipette is used to precisely measure and transfer liquids, including media, reagents, or cell suspensions.
A hemocytometer is used to count cells and estimate the concentration of cells.
Materials:
Cell culture media is a nutrient-rich liquid designed to provide essential nutrients, growth factors, and a balanced pH environment necessary for cells to grow and thrive outside their natural environment.
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is commonly added to culture media as a supplement that supplies additional growth factors, proteins, and nutrients, enhancing cell proliferation and survival.
Cell culture flasks, dishes, and plates are containers serve as surfaces for cells to adhere, grow, and proliferate, available in various sizes and formats to accommodate different cell types and experimental requirements.
Trypsin-EDTA is an enzymatic solution used to detach adherent cells from their growth surface during subculturing or passaging, allowing them to be transferred to fresh culture vessels.
Phosphate-Buffered Saline (PBS) is a balanced salt solution used to wash cells and maintain isotonic conditions, preventing cellular stress or damage during experimental procedures.
Antibiotics and antimycotics are added to culture media to minimize the risk of contamination from bacteria, fungi, or yeast, ensuring a sterile environment for cell growth.
Disposable pipette tips are essential for accurate liquid handling and help prevent cross-contamination between samples or reagents during cell culture procedures.
Sterile filters are used to remove contaminants from liquids, such as media or reagents, ensuring that only sterile solutions are introduced to the culture system.
Cryovials are specialized storage containers used for freezing and preserving cells in liquid nitrogen, enabling long-term storage and future use in experiments.
Basic techniques
Aseptic Technique
Passaging Cells
Freezing Cells
Thawing Cells
Counting Cells with a Hemocytometer
Related Posts
Cell culture requires basic lab techniques which are also used for other processes. The following posts describe techniques which may be useful in cell culture:
- Basic chemistry
- Bacterial culture
CoMo Science 
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