Introduction to Cell Culture

The process of taking cells from an organism and growing them in a controlled environment outside of their natural body.

The initial stage of cell culture where cells are directly isolated from tissue and begin to proliferate.

Cells that continue to grow and divide after the first subculture of a primary culture.

A specific subgroup of a cell line that has been selected for a particular characteristic.

Cells that have a finite lifespan and will eventually stop dividing due to senescence.

Cells that have gained the ability to divide indefinitely, often due to genetic alterations.

The process by which cells lose their ability to divide and enter a state of dormancy.

Cells that have undergone changes, often due to genetic mutations, giving them the potential for indefinite division.

These are key ingredients in cell culture media, providing the building blocks for cell growth and function.

These proteins stimulate cell growth and proliferation, acting as messengers to control cell behavior.

These molecules regulate various cell processes, such as metabolism and development, ensuring proper cell function.

These are essential gases needed by most cells, allowing them to carry out normal functions.

These are crucial for maintaining the optimal environment for cell survival and function, ensuring proper balance and stability.

These cells need a solid surface to attach and grow, forming a layer.

These cells can grow freely in the culture medium, floating without needing to attach to a surface.

These cabinets are designed to protect both the user and the environment from potentially hazardous materials, providing a sterile environment for cell culture work.

Class II biosafety cabinets are designed for work with potentially hazardous materials like virally infected cultures and carcinogenic reagents.

Class III biosafety cabinets offer the highest level of protection to both the user and the environment, making them suitable for work with highly infectious agents.

These cabinets are gas-tight, ensuring complete isolation from the outside environment.

Cell culture hoods maintain a constant unidirectional airflow of HEPA-filtered air over the work area to protect the cell cultures and the user from contamination.

Horizontal flow hoods blow air parallel to the work surface, offering protection to the cultures or the user depending on the air flow direction.

Vertical flow hoods direct HEPA-filtered air vertically onto the work surface, providing maximum protection to both the user and the cell cultures.

Clean benches only offer product protection by discharging HEPA-filtered air from the back of the cabinet toward the user. They are not suitable for handling infectious materials or cell culture materials.

A safe and organized space for culturing cells; its design promotes aseptic condition and proper workflow.

A designated area in the cell culture hood where you perform procedures.

A device used to incubate cells at ideal temperatures and humidity for optimal growth and proliferation.

A type of incubator that provides a controlled environment with humidified air and CO2, ideal for cultivating cells in plates or dishes.

A type of incubator that provides a simple and basic environment, often used for incubating cells in flasks.

The arrangement of items in a cell culture hood that optimizes workflow and efficiency, typically designed for right-handed users.

Cells that require a solid surface to attach and grow, forming a monolayer.

Cells that can grow freely in the culture medium, floating without needing to attach to a surface.

A dedicated space within a cell culture lab for storing various materials including media, reagents, chemicals, disposables, glassware, equipment, and biological samples.

A refrigerator specifically designed for cell culture, maintaining a stable temperature between 2-8°C for storing media, reagents, and other temperature-sensitive materials.

A controlled environment with a constant low temperature (typically -20°C) used to preserve cell culture reagents, media, and other sensitive materials.

Specialized ultra-low temperature freezers (-80°C) used for long-term storage of cell lines, ensuring their viability and minimizing the risk of genetic instability.

A specialized storage system using liquid nitrogen to preserve cell lines at extremely low temperatures (-196°C), ensuring their long-term viability and genetic integrity.

A type of cryogenic storage where vials are kept in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen, reducing the risk of explosion and making it ideal for storing large numbers of vials.

A type of cryogenic storage where vials are submerged in liquid nitrogen, offering a longer storage period due to greater stability and cost-effectiveness.

A type of cryogenic storage commonly used for cell line preservation. It utilizes a combination of specialized equipment, controlled temperature, and liquid nitrogen to create a stable and long-term storage environment.

A technique used during cell culture to minimize contamination of cells by microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Wearing protective clothing and gloves minimizes contamination from skin cells, dust from clothes, and other external sources.

Proper handling of reagents and media is crucial to ensure sterility and avoid contamination. Regularly sterilize all materials and solutions used in the lab.

This involves using proper techniques to work in a sterile environment, including working rapidly and avoiding talking or whistling.

Contamination from chemicals like impurities in media or endotoxins from bacterial cell walls can affect cell growth and function.

Biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mycoplasma can cause disease or even death to your cell culture.

Cross-contamination occurs when cells from one culture contaminate another, which can lead to inaccurate results and experiment failures.

These are common contaminants that can be difficult to detect, but they can jeopardize cell culture experiments by interfering with cell processes.