British Society of Cell Biology (BSCB) Competitions 2014

Happy New Year!  Hope it's a fun-filled, healthy and prosperous year for you all!


to start off the New Year, why not enter one of these competitions organised by the British Society of Cell Biology (BSCB), for the best cell image or the best science writing:




BSCB Image Competition 2014
As author and cartoonist James Thurber once observed "There are two kinds of light - the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures". Cell biology would be nowhere without some photons to drench the otherwise dim and often lifeless specimens that we so carefully produce. Thanks to some remarkable developments in microscopes and staining tools, we can easily capture images and sit in awe and wonder at the hitherto invisible beauty found in nature. So what makes an image an outstanding image? Is it the biology underlying? Is it the technical prowess of the sample maker? Is it the composition or colour choice? Is it all these together? It is probably all or at least most of the above.
We are pleased to announce the fourth year of the BSCB image competition. Entries should illustrate cell biology in any form and the winning images will be used as cover art for the newsletter and on the BSCB website. The closing date for entries for the 2014 competition is: 1st Feb 2014.


For full details visit:
http://www.bscb.org/index.php?url=imagecompetition/index

About the BSCB Science Writing Prize

Communicating science in words that are engaging and understandable is vital at many levels. The BSCB Science Writing Prize was launched in 2009 to encourage and reward high quality writing on topics of key relevance to biomedical science. Entrants have either communicated their own research projects or science stories in the literature, in a clear and concise way aimed at a non-specialist audience, or written essays that were not be limited to research per se, but tackled a bioethical or science policy issue. The BSCB Science Writing Prize aims to encourage writing skill development in young researchers rather than seasoned veterans (see rules below).
The winner receives a prize of £500 and has their winning entry published in the BSCB newsletter and online (both on the BSCB website and subject to editorial acceptance on the excellent www.lablit.com website). Normally the prize is presented before one of the main plenary talks at the annual BSCB Spring Conference.
Each year shortlisted entries are judged by an external expert. In previous years we have enlisted the kind help of Tim Radford (Writer and former Science Editor at The Guardian), Viv Parry (Science Writer and Columnist), and Tania Hershman (Science writer, former science journalist and writer-in-residence at Bristol University).
We are very pleased to announce that shortlisted entries will be judged by Jenny Rohn a cell biologist at UCL, who is also a science writer, novelist, blogger, broadcaster, the editor of LabLit.com and the founder and chair of Science is Vital. Jenny will be looking for pieces that capture interest in an original and striking way and that bring science to life for the lay reader.


For full details visit:
http://www.bscb.org/index.php?url=sciencewriting/index




Good luck!
Cellwyn :)

Primary Cells - the Definition!

Hi all,

Today I've got a key definition for all those of you who are culturing primary cells, or may be thinking about it!

What is a primary culture?  Here's a formal definition:

A primary culture is the stage after the isolation of the cells from tissue, but before the first sub-culture.  (At the point of the first sub-culture, it becomes a cell line).

In practice it is often very important to clarify this definition, since the widespread commercial availability of human primary cells has led to frequent alternative use of the terms "primary cells" or "primary cell lines".  This can be very misleading.

In some cases, you may obtain cells from a supplier that are labelled "primary cells".  These are (or should be!) cells that have been cryopreserved at the end of the primary culture stage.  When you thaw these into culture, they become a finite cell line, beginning at passage number 1.  Each time they are sub-cultured, the passage number increases by 1 (passage 1, passage 2, passage 3 etc).

However, in other cases, you may receive cells that are referred to as "primary cells" but they have actually gone through a number of sub-cultures prior to arrival in your lab - in this case they are not actually primary cells, but are already a finite cell line.  Be sure to check the passage number and ask the supplier if you need clarification.

Clarification of the culture stage is important because it affects the uniformity of the cell population and the number of generations remaining before senescence (ie the lifespan).  This could have a serious impact on the performance of your cells during the course of your experiments.  Starting experiments with older cells could even mean that the culture starts to senesce and die before you've completed your work (remember these are finite cell lines with a short lifespan).

Note that, technically speaking, if cells are subcultured from a true primary culture, the correct term is "early passage cell line" and not a "primary cell line", which is a contradiction in terms!!

Remember: all cell cultures begin as primary cells, even if they are subsequently treated to become finite or immortal cell lines.  So primary cells are important as the source of all cell cultures!

More later this week about primary cells vs. cell lines, and how to make the most of the short lifespan of your finite cells!  Meanwhile, please feel free to contact us by leaving any questions or comments here, email info@x-cellr8.com or via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/XCellR8

Primary fibroblasts in culture, isolated from the dermis of human skin. 

These cells are used at XCellR8 to perform in vitro efficacy testing to support cosmetic claims

such as collagen-boosting, anti-oxidant and anti-ageing:

http://www.x-cellr8.com/EfficacyTesting.aspx

Happy Cell Culturing! :)

Cellwyn

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends!

Hi all!

Just a special note to wish all of our American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday weekend!  Quite a few of our blog followers are based in the US, so we'd like to say a big thank you for your support!  It's business as usual here in the UK, but we always have a little time out for a break and here I am catching up with Dr Carol Barker-Treasure, XCellR8's founder and a good friend of mine!  Have fun :)
Cellwyn and all at XCellR8
PS We are hoping to bring some of our cell culture training events to the US in the near future.  If you think you or your colleagues may be interested, drop us a line at info@x-cellr8.com.  Check out our training events at http://www.x-cellr8.com/training.aspx

How often should you re-feed your cells?

Hi everyone!

Do you have plans for the weekend, and are wishing that you didn't have to go to the lab to re-feed your cells?

Here's a general rule that can be applied for many adherent cultures:
If your cells are less than 50% confluent (covering less than 50% of the culture surface area), they will usually be happy with a re-feed every 72 hours (that means they'll last from Friday to Monday - woohoo!)  However, if they are more than 50% confluent, they will usually require a re-feed every 48 hours to keep them in optimal health.  As there are more cells present, they are collectively using up more nutrients.  (That means you should pop in over the weekend to do a re-feed).

Consider sub-culturing your cell lines on a Friday so that they are at low confluency over the weekends and therefore won't require re-feeding until Monday. 

We know you all love your cells, and giving them all the TLC they need is essential, but it's important to have your time off too!  So it's worth being smart about your sub-culturing schedule!

Please do keep in mind that every cell type is different, and if you work to a quality compliance system such as GLP or ISO in your lab, don't forget to stick to your SOPs or ask your manager if you'd like to suggest a change!

Do you have a question about this post or about Good Cell Culture Practice in general?  Email us at info@x-cellr8.com or visit our website to find out about our upcoming training courses:
http://www.x-cellr8.com/training.aspx

Have a fantastic weekend - whether you are re-feeding your cells or not!

Cellwyn

Cell Counting - some useful information

Hi all,

Here's some really useful information that we received today about cell counting, that could make life easier if you are working with samples containing debris.

We're interested in your feedback and experiences!  Leave your comments here or on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/XCellR8

Have a great day :)
Cellwyn

Using Trypan Blue and Fluorescent AOPI Dyes to Measure Cell Viability by Cellometer Cell Counters Do you have red-blood cells, cell debris, or tissue debris in your samples? Here are some samples that may contain RBCs, cell and tissue debris, and have been analyzed by the Cellometer instruments:     ·        Tail Vein Blood ·        Splenocytes ·        Bronchoalveolar lavage ·        Tumor Digests ·        PBMC ·        Lymphocytes ·        Cord Blood ·        Peripheral Blood ·        And many more   When your samples contain unwanted particles use: Acridine Orange/ Propidium Iodide (AO/PI) viability assay to accurately measure the concentration and viability of your samples!     AO/PI Protocol 1.     Obtain Nexcelom AO/PI solution: Cat # CS2-0106-5ML 2.     Stain cell sample at 1:1 with AO/PI solution 3.     Load counting chamber slide with 20 µl of cells and analyze Accurate and Consistent Results in <30 seconds!   To determine which instrument is best for you, contact a Nexcelom specialist today! Do you have clean cell samples without RBCs, or other cell debris? Here are some samples that may be considered clean samples, and have been analyzed by the Cellometer instruments:     ·        Over 1600 cultured cell lines ·        All NCI 60 cancer cell lines ·        Isolated Stem Cells ·        Isolated Mononuclear cells with RBC lysing ·        Frozen clinical Samples ·        Isolated Primary Cells   When your samples are free from unwanted particles use: Trypan Blue exclusion assay to accurately measure the concentration and viability of your samples!     Trypan Blue Protocol 1.     Dilute the stock (0.4 %) with PBS to 0.2 % 2.     Filter the trypan blue with 0.2 micron filter 3.     Mix the cell suspension at 1:1 with 0.2 % trypan blue 4.     Load the counting chamber slide with 20 µl of cells into the Cellometer and analyze Accurate and Consistent Results in <30 seconds!   To determine which instrument is best for you, contact a Nexcelom specialist today!

Win £300 in FRAME's essay competition

Hi everyone!
Are you aged 16-19 and living in the UK?
You could win £300 by entering FRAME's essay competition!
The theme of the competition is "What are the alternatives to using animals in laboratories"?
You've got some time to get your thinking caps on as the closing date isn't til 12 January 2014.  For a few ideas for starters, why not check us out on Facebook, where we post news stories about new alternatives to animal testing?
https://www.facebook.com/XCellR8?ref=hl
I might have a go myself :)
http://www.frame.org.uk/news_details.php?news_id=176
Catch up soon - myself and Lottie will be back with more news and cell culture tips!
Cellwyn

Training in the Lab - Observing the Cells

Bushra has been training me on the importance of observing the cells every day, to ensure they are happy and healthy, and to check that there is no contamination! The cells we thawed and cultured are looking healthy and are growing well. 

The Balb:c 3T3 Cells after 24hours in the incubator

I am glad to see the cells are growing well and am looking forward to watching them grow more over the next few days. 

Lottie