Print this Page
E-mail This Page
Cell Culture
Topics in This Section
|
Reimann Building Room R490 215-728-7761 Room R288 (Culture Laboratory) 215-728-2486 Room R151 (Medium Preparation) 215-728-5313 Kerry.Campbell@fccc.edu |
Function
Since it was established in 1981, the Cell Culture Facility has made it easier, more economical and more effective to use mammalian cell cultures in research at Fox Chase. Cell culture procedures provide the cellular materials for many of the molecular methods used to study normal and cancer cell proliferation, cellular regulatory mechanisms, and normal and abnormal development. As a result, cell culture has become a core technique in current molecular and cell biological research.
The Cell Culture Facility provides a wide range of services and technical assistance that are tailored to the individual needs of the user. The facility provides basic support services (preparation of numerous culture media and a source of culture supplies and sterile reagents), cell propagation services, expertise in establishing primary cultures from human and animal tissue samples, cell transformation services, screening services for detecting mycoplasma contamination in cultured cells, consultation to assist in experimental design, and sterile workstations for use by investigators who do not have facilities of their own. The cell culture facility is used by more than three-quarters of all the Fox Chase laboratories, illustrating the high demand for such technology and services at the Center. The facility also maintains a large liquid nitrogen cell bank for the majority of investigators at the Center, which presently holds about 60,000 samples. In addition, the facility negotiates reduced prices for bulk purchasing fetal bovine serum from screened lots that demonstrate the best cell growth support properties. Investigators can purchase these optimal batches of serum at our reduced bulk acquisition cost.
Furthermore, the facility provides investigators with the capacity to generate and clone hybridomas that produce monoclonal antibodies directed toward the antigen of their choice. Monoclonal antibodies can also be generated in bulk though growing hybridomas in a membrane-based cell culture system and specially formulated medium.
The Cell Culture Facility also provides technical support, cells, reagents, and supplies for establishing germline transmissible embryonic stem (ES) cells for developing gene knockout mice. Seven different ES cell lines from three species of mice, as well as feeder layer cells (mouse embryo fibroblasts), and all necessary reagents are in stock for immediate use in the facility. To date, we have successfully established sixteen "knocked out" or "knocked in" ES cell lines in direct collaboration with the Fox Chase Transgenic Mouse facility. These genetically modified ES cell lines are subsequently injected into blastocysts by the Fox Chase Transgenic Mouse facility to establish chimeric mice bearing the modified gene. We will continue to contribute substantial support to those efforts. In addition, "nucleofection" equipment is available in the facility for investigators to efficiently introduce DNA constructs into ES cells, primary cells, or cell lines.
Description
The Cell Culture Facility consists of two laboratories for cell culture work, two rooms for instrumentation, cell banks and supplies and a room for the preparation and sterile filtration of media. The following equipment is located in the facility:
- two Macintosh computers
- one LaserJet 4 printer
- five Class II biosafety sterile hoods
- one Labconco hood (HEPA laminar flow clean work bench)
- four RS-Taylor Wharton liquid nitrogen storage tanks
- one K-Taylor Wharton liquid nitrogen storage tank
- eight 8,000 vial capacity liquid nitrogen storage tanks
- two Forma Stericult-2000 incubators
- four Sanyo large capacity CO2 incubators
- one Bellco roller bottle incubator
- three waterbaths
- three Nikon Model TMS inverted microscopes
- one Polaroid photomicroscope camera
- one 35mm Nikon camera
- one Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera
- one Nikon TS100 inverted microscope fitted for immunofluorescence
- one Bausch and Lomb light microscope
- one Model Z1 Coulter Counter
- one Beckman GS-6R refrigerated centrifuge
- one RC-5 Sorvall Superspeed centrifuge
- one International clinical centrifuge
- two pH meters
- five magnetic stirrers
- one conductivity meter
- one Mettler analytical balance
- one top loading electronic balance
- three GEM refrigerators
- one 4®C refrigerator
- five -20®C freezers
- two -80®C freezers
- one Millipore Biocell water filtration system
- one Millipore positive pressure filtration pump
- and one sterilizing oven
- one Amaxa Nucleofector II
- one Amaxa 96-well Shuttle Nucleofector
- one Sanyo low oxygen CO2 incubator
- one TS100 inverted microscope