Cell Culture

Cell lineage forms an understanding of how cells relate to one another as they proliferate and differentiate – like mapping a family tree, but for cells – and helps scientists monitor the health, quality, and integrity of cell cultures over time.

Centralized monitoring platforms like CellPort make it easy to develop traceable and reproducible cell cultures customized to your desired assay endpoint, while closely monitoring
high-passage cells that carry a higher risk of deviation.

For high-passage cells, any deviations from the expected cell behavior should be flagged early to prevent downstream implications and minimize the risk of contamination. Data analysis systems can be used along with automated monitoring systems to detect any early signs of contamination before they cause massive drains on financial resources and time.

Cell counting is a fundamental process in many biological experiments – Scientists assessing drug compound toxicity, cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, cell confluence, or inhibition of cell division must measure the quantity, or density, of cells in a certain well.

This is often performed via cell imaging – typically accomplished using brightfield or fluorescent markers along with an automated imaging system and analysis software. Automated data collection and scheduled workflows surrounding cell imaging can greatly expedite the cell counting process while reducing the risk of human error.

Culture media serve as an energy source for cell growth during the cell culture process. When working with unicellular and multicellular organisms (i.e., prokaryotic and eukaryotic, respectively), how the media is selected and prepared is highly dependent on the culture type, purpose of cultivation, and cell density requirements.

For example, broth cultures use dehydrated media that must be dissolved in distilled water, adjusted to the final pH, and sterilized. For agar cultures, powdered media is dissolved and stirred in distilled water, then boiled or autoclaved, and finally poured into sterile Petri dishes using aseptic techniques. Each type of culture requires specific media selection and preparation techniques, and due to the sensitive nature of cells, the slightest change will result in varying outcomes.

With step-by-step instructions (i.e., recipes) including past notes and observations, CellPort’s digital protocols ensure the right steps are taken at the right time. When variations occur, CellPort’s media tracking allows labs to pinpoint possible causes and correct course where necessary.