Cell Culture Techniques and Safety

A laboratory technique where eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells are grown in a controlled environment that mimics their natural conditions.

Cell culture methods were introduced to study how tissues grow and mature, understand viruses, develop vaccines, explore the role of genes in health and disease, and produce biopharmaceuticals.

Studying basic cell biology, recreating disease mechanisms, and evaluating the toxicity of new drugs.

The use of cell culture allows scientists to easily manipulate genes and molecular pathways within cells, providing valuable insights.

Cell cultures provide a homogeneous and controlled environment, reducing the variability that exists in whole organisms.

Biohazards in the lab come from infectious agents like viruses, bacteria, and fungi, as well as toxic, corrosive, or mutagenic chemicals.

To prevent contamination, researchers use personal protective equipment like gloves, masks, and lab coats, and work with biosafety cabinets.

It is crucial to minimize exposure to biohazards in the lab to avoid infections, allergic reactions, and harmful exposure to toxins.

A set of guidelines aimed at maintaining a safe environment for personnel and preventing contamination in the lab.

Specific measures implemented to protect lab personnel from hazards associated with different biological agents based on their potential risk.

A written document summarizing the potential dangers of a reagent, including its chemical and physical properties, health hazards, storage, disposal, and recommended personal protective equipment.

The practice of maintaining a sterile environment to prevent contamination by microorganisms.

A type of biological agent that poses a low to moderate risk to lab personnel and the community.

A type of biological agent that poses a moderate risk to lab personnel and the community.

A type of biological agent that poses a high risk to lab personnel and the community, and may have limited or no treatment options.

A type of biological agent that poses the highest risk to lab personnel and the community, often with no available treatment options.

A designated area within a laboratory designed for sterile cell culture work, equipped with specialized equipment and following strict protocols.

Equipment used in cell culture laboratories to create a sterile workspace and minimize contamination.

Personal protective equipment such as lab coats, gloves, and goggles that protect laboratory workers from hazardous agents.

A cabinet equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter that creates a sterile work environment.

A system designed to minimize contamination in cell cultures by using a constant, unidirectional flow of HEPA-filtered air, creating a sterile workspace.

Regular training of lab personnel to ensure they follow proper procedures and understand safety risks in the cell culture laboratory.

The practice of screening donors of primary cells for potential disease-causing pathogens.

Harmful substances like bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can contaminate cell cultures.

Changes in a cell's physical traits and genetic makeup.

Harmful agents like plasticizers from containers that can pollute cell culture.

The accidental growth of unwanted cell types in a cell culture.

Bacteria's ability to reproduce quickly and spread easily in cell culture.

A sterile work surface that prevents airborne contaminants from entering the culture, ensuring a clean environment for cell growth.

It provides a controlled environment that mimics the conditions inside the body, ensuring optimal cell survival and growth.

It is used to assess the shape and appearance of cells, count them, and monitor their growth.

These store essential components like cell media, reagents, and critical cell materials, ensuring their proper preservation and availability.

Centrifuges concentrate cells by separating them from the cell culture media, preparing them for further experiments.

It measures the pH of the culture media, ensuring it's within the optimal range for cell growth.

These are used to accurately measure and dispense tiny volumes of cell culture solutions, reagents, and media.

These provide the essential nutrients and growth factors that cells need to thrive and proliferate in the culture environment.

It is used to count cells, determine their growth rate, and calculate the optimal number of cells to seed in new cultures.

It sterilizes equipment, including pipettes and other tools, to prevent contaminating the cell cultures.

This removes excess cell culture media from the culture vessels, ensuring a clean and controlled environment for the cells.

It warms up the cell culture media to the ideal temperature for cells before they are added to the cultures.

These provide a variety of shapes and sizes to cultivate cells in controlled conditions, allowing for optimal growth.

These containers are used to safely and responsibly dispose of biological waste materials used in cell culture.

Biosafety cabinets create a clean working environment by filtering air and reducing the risk of contamination from lab personnel, materials, and the surrounding environment.

Careful cleaning of work surfaces, incubators, and equipment minimises the spread of microorganisms, while handwashing and personal protective equipment (gloves, lab coats) further reduce the introduction of contaminants.

Using sterile media, reagents, and equipment is crucial. Filter sterilization and autoclaving are commonly used methods for eliminating microorganisms from the culture environment.

The use of cell culture to create models that help us understand the basics of how cells work, how diseases develop, and the effects of potential new drugs.

It involves creating conditions that are as close as possible to the natural environment for cells, allowing them to grow and behave normally.

Cell culture allows researchers to manipulate genes and molecular pathways within cells, providing valuable insights into how these changes affect cell behavior and function.

Cell culture provides a homogeneous environment with well-defined conditions, minimizing the variability that can occur in whole organisms, leading to more reliable and consistent data.

Biohazards in cell culture labs come from infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, and from potentially harmful chemicals.

Lab personnel should wear protective equipment like gloves, lab coats, and masks to prevent contamination and exposure to biohazards. They should also work in biosafety cabinets to isolate the cultures.

Biosafety cabinets with HEPA filters create sterile workspaces, providing a barrier between researchers and the cultures, minimizing the risk of contamination.

Proper cleaning and disinfection of equipment, work surfaces, and the lab environment are essential to maintain a sterile environment and prevent the spread of contaminants.

The use of sterile media, reagents, and equipment is crucial to prevent the introduction of microorganisms into the cell culture environment. Techniques like filter sterilization and autoclaving are used to eliminate potential contaminants.

Procedures that minimize contamination by microorganisms in cell culture laboratory equipment.

A specialized cabinet that utilizes HEPA-filtered air to create a sterile work space, minimizing exposure to hazardous materials.

A classification system for biological agents based on their potential risk to laboratory workers and the community.

The use of protective equipment such as lab coats, gloves, and goggles to minimize direct contact with hazardous materials.

The process of screening donors for potential disease-causing pathogens before using their cells in research.

Regular training programs designed to ensure lab personnel are aware of safety procedures and risks associated with working with cell cultures.

A designated area in a lab specifically for sterile cell culture work, equipped with specialized equipment and following strict protocols.

A designated area for handling hazardous agents, with enhanced safety measures and protocols.

Practices and techniques used to prevent the contamination of cell cultures with microorganisms, ensuring the purity and health of the cells.

A combination of antibiotics, such as penicillin and streptomycin, added to cell culture media to prevent bacterial growth.

A potentially harmful substance that can contaminate cell cultures, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites.

A method used to sterilize equipment, including pipettes, by using high pressure and steam.

A technique used to sterilize liquids, such as cell culture media, by passing them through a filter with very small pores that trap microorganisms.

A process that uses a vacuum pump to remove excess cell culture medium from culture vessels, ensuring a clean environment for the cells.

A specialized equipment used for counting cells, determining growth rates, and calculating optimal cell seeding densities.

A type of incubator that maintains a constant temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels, creating an optimal environment for cell growth.

Harmful substances, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that can contaminate cell cultures and affect their growth and function.

Changes in a cell's physical characteristics (phenotype) and genetic makeup (genotype) caused by contaminants.

Chemicals, like plasticizers from cell culture containers, that can contaminate the cell environment and potentially harm the cells.

The accidental presence of undesired cell types in a cell culture, potentially disrupting the study's focus.

Bacteria's rapid reproduction rate, allowing them to quickly spread and dominate the cell culture environment.

The appearance of cloudiness or turbidity in the cell culture media, often a sign of bacterial contamination.

Changes in the pH of the culture media, indicated by a shift in color from red to yellow, caused by bacterial metabolism.

Due to their size and flagella-induced mobility, certain bacterial strains are easier to detect using a microscope.

Some bacteria, like Mycoplasma, are smaller and harder to detect due to their size and lack of mobility.

A set of procedures designed to minimize contamination by microorganisms in a cell culture laboratory.