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!