Webinars
The BD Biosciences Webinar Series is an ongoing, informative program in which senior scientists present online seminars covering a broad range of topics.
Comparison of Thawing and Plating Methods for Cryopreserved Hepatocytes
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Times: 9 AM and 1 PM Eastern Time
Presenter: Christopher Patten, PhD, Program Manager/R&D, BD Biosciences
Abstract
Primary hepatocytes isolated from fresh human donor tissue contain the full complement of metabolic pathways and are considered the most physiologically relevant model for studying hepatic drug metabolism. Hepatocytes are available as both freshly isolated cells and as vialed cryopreserved cells. Cryopreserved hepatocytes offer researchers convenience and consistency compared to fresh hepatocytes. Cryopreserved hepatocyte lots that plate after thawing are now readily available, allowing them to be used for CYP induction or other applications requiring plated cells, e.g. toxicity testing or metabolism studies for slowly formed metabolites. When using cryopreserved hepatocytes, it is important to have a high post-thaw viability (e.g. 80% or greater) in order to maximize metabolic activity during the course of the assay as well as plating efficiency for plated cell applications. Several protocols are available for thawing and plating cryopreserved hepatocytes, some utilize a density gradient such as Percoll™ to help maximize cell viability.
This webinar will focus on the various methods for thawing and plating cells. The advantages and disadvantages, including the time requirement for each protocol will be discussed. The
BD Gentest™ high viability recovery media, a new cryopreserved hepatocyte recovery media developed by BD Biosciences and optimized to provide high post-thaw viability and cell recovery, will also be discussed.
Percoll™ is a trademark of GE Healthcare
Tips and Techniques for Enhancing Your Cell Culture
Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Times: 9 AM and 1 PM Eastern Time
Presenter: Paula Flaherty, R&D Manager, BD Biosciences
Abstract
Many advances in the understanding of biological systems have been dependent on the study of cell behavior and functionality. An essential tool in this research is in vitro cell culture. Many variables must be considered when developing a physiological environment for optimal cell growth and differentiation in the laboratory. Examples of these variables include the cell source, cell isolation technique, composition of the growth environment (e.g., extracellular matrix proteins, soluble growth factors), and cell age. Basic laboratory practices can be overlooked as a source of discrepancy in experimental data. However, the application of fastidious and reproducible techniques can reduce cell culture as a source of data variation. As specialized techniques have been developed to modulate cells and tissues in vitro, the acquisition of reproducible data has become paramount.
In this presentation, we will identify and discuss basic principles of in vitro mammalian cell culture that influence the quality of experimental results.
Cross-Instrument and Cross-Site Standardization Using BD FACSDiva Software’s Custom Application Settings: Part I of II
Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Times: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Presenter: Alan Stall, PhD, Director, Advanced Cytometry Technologies, BD Biosciences
Abstract
Differences in individual instrument performance and setup contribute to experimental variability. Results of the same study run on different instruments at the same site or at different sites are often inconsistent. Minimizing instrument-related variability improves the accuracy and reproducibility of flow cytometry based studies conducted across multiple sites. BD FACSDiva™ software standardizes instrument setup, providing detailed characterization of a flow cytometer’s performance using the BD™ Cytometer Setup and Tracking (CS&T) feature.
This presentation is the first of a two-part series. The first part will present the basics of CS&T and demonstrate how to use CS&T performance data to establish the minimum instrument performance reference values needed to generate optimal data for a user-defined study.
The second part, to be held in late October, will focus on how to use these performance reference values to create optimized instrument settings for the study, and then use the optimized settings to standardize instrument setup across multiple instruments and sites.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
