Growing Cell Cultures: Types of Cells

types of cell cultures

Journey into the diverse world of cells

Cells are demanding. Some like to be free while others like to stick around. If you’re struggling with setting up and maintaining your cell cultures, you’re not alone. Depending on the type of cells you’re working with, different challenges can arise. The lab equipment you use can help you meet some of these challenges.

What are the different types of cells?

Suspension cells

These cells are free-flowing which means they don’t require a surface to grow on. Examples include blood cells and some cancer cells. Culturing suspension cells can be tricky because they need specialized culture vessels and techniques to maintain their viability and growth.

One big challenge with suspension cells is aggregation, which means that your cells clump together and make it difficult to maintain single-cell suspensions. To prevent this, it’s important to create single-cell suspensions by gently pipetting or using specialized culture vessels.

Adherent cells

Adherent cells such as fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells need a proper surface to attach to, and improper attachment can lead to cell death. The right culture vessel is crucial here, and different cell types may require different surfaces, such as plastic, glass, or coated surfaces.

Another challenge is confluency. Adherent cells can quickly reach confluency, meaning the entire surface of the culture vessel is covered with cells, which can lead to nutrient depletion and cell death. To avoid this, seed your cells at an appropriate density and aim for 70 to 80% confluency. Lastly, detaching adherent cells from the surface for passaging or analysis can be tough and can lead to cell damage. Try using detachment agents such as trypsin or EDTA to make this process easier.

Feeder cells

Finally, let’s talk about feeder cells. These are cells that support the growth and maintenance of other cells in culture. Feeder cells can provide essential growth factors, nutrients, and signaling molecules to support the growth of cells that are difficult to culture on their own.

tissue culture flasks

Cole-Parmer Tissue Culture Flasks

How can the right lab supplies help?

The right lab supplies can make all the difference to the success of your cell culture. For suspension cells, use conical tubes or specialized culture vessels to keep cells in suspension and prevent aggregation. For adherent cells, use tissue culture flasks or dishes with the right coating to promote cell attachment and growth. And for feeder cells, use flasks or plates with a proper surface and growth media to support their growth and function.

I need to produce monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). What vessel should I use?

Bioreactor flask

Cole-Parmer Cell Line Bioreactor Flask

Bioreactor flasks are specialized vessels used to culture cells at a large scale, making them a valuable tool for the production of mAbs. You’ll already know that produce mAbs large quantities of hybridoma cells are needed. While hybridoma cells can be cultured in standard culture vessels, bioreactor flasks provide several advantages when scaling up the production process. Bioreactor flasks have a large surface area and volume, allowing for increased cell density and greater antibody production. They also can control environmental conditions, such as temperature, pH, and oxygen levels, to optimize cell growth and antibody production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren’t my cells growing?

There could be many reasons why cells may not be growing. Some possible causes include:

  • Incorrect seeding density
  • Lack of nutrients
  • Suboptimal culture conditions
  • Contamination with bacteria or fungi
  • Cell death due to toxic compounds
  • Genetic instability

Check your protocol, including the media, growth factors, and incubation conditions, to ensure they are appropriate for the cell type being cultured. Additionally, checking for signs of contamination and performing regular cell viability assays can help identify potential issues.

Can I grow my adherent cell line in a non-treated flask?

While your cells may grow in a non-treated flask, it’s likely that many cellular characteristics will change as the cells struggle to anchor to the surface. Non-treated flasks lack the coating or surface treatment that provides a hydrophilic and negatively charged environment for cell adhesion, which is necessary for the attachment and growth of adherent cells. Where possible, we would always recommend using treated flasks for anchorage-dependent cells.

View cell culture products

Related Articles

Freezing Cells: What is Cryopreservation?

Be the first to comment on "Growing Cell Cultures: Types of Cells"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: