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