Cell Culture

Infrastructures
Research areas
  • Life & Medical Sciences
Contact

Dra. Clara I. Rodríguez (Advisor researcher)

(0034) 94 600 6073 - Ext 2124

claraisabel.rodriguezlopez@osakidetza.eus

Available for external users?
Yes
Access protocol

Please check website

Description

The Cell Culture Facility at IIS Biocruces Bizkaia is created in the year 2013 as a scientific service and technical support for facilitating the experimentation with cell cultures to research groups Biocruces Bizkaia IIS and external users. Facility laboratories are located on the first floor of the building Biocruces 3.The aim of the Facility is to provide adequate facilities and equipment, as well as specialized management personnel that guarantees a correct use and a successful maintenance of primary and stable cell lines cultures. The Facility can be flexible and adapt processes for specific culture requirements from users.The Facility consists of two independent areas, both of them with controlled environment that comply with the Biosafety Level 2 requirements (BSL-2). One area is under positive pressure and the second, under negative pressure which allows appropriate handling of samples according to their origin and characteristics.In order to provide and guarantee working conditions that working with cell cultures requires, the Facility is responsible, through strict control of use, for the correct functioning of the laboratories and their equipment by rigorous cleaning of facilities and equipment, constant evaluation of cultures to avoid contaminations, management of consumables, purchase of specific products needed and adequate cell cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen.Facility Management

  • Set up, control and preventive maintenance of equipment and facilities. Validations under request. Generation of specific operating procedures for the use, maintenance and cleaning of equipment and facilities, and also to control their proper functioning and registration of parameters.
  • Monitoring of equipment and facilities: Daily record of critical parameters for cell culture, such as temperature and supply of gases (CO2, N2, air), and environments pressure, gas supply, alarm status in cell culture rooms.
  • Use management and monitoring good practices in culture rooms to prevent contamination of cell cultures and ensure better working conditions.
  • Cryopreservation Service: Maintenance of cell line stocks in liquid nitrogen. Daily control of levels of liquid nitrogen in supply rangers and cryopreservation tank. Daily control of cryopreservation tank temperature and available samples storing distribution.
  • Waste management.
  • Training in basic tissue culture techniques.

CapabilitiesThese services can be adapted and those not included can be ordered and will be evaluated. For more information contact the Facility.

  • Use of biological safety cabinets (includes use of baths, inverted microscopes: transmitted light and fluorescence, centrifuges and smaller equipment).
  • Use of Whitley H135 hypoxia station (Cab-incubator in hypoxia).
  • Use of CO2 Incubators.
  • Cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen tank.
  • Detection of mycoplasma.
  • Possibility to set up assays using cell or tissue samples. Cell harvesting, isolation and culture from different tissues, cell stocks production, viability-cytotoxicity analysis (XTT assay), evaluation of cell adhesion and migration, cell characterizations…

Equipment includes two independent environment-controlled restricted access biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) areas, either with positive or negative pressure for specific sample handling.

  • Vertical laminar flow cabinets
  • CO2 Incubators
  • Centrifuges
  • Microscopess
  • Refrigerators
  • In the cold room, next to the laboratory
  • In the preparation room, near to the laboratory 
  • Other minor equipment 
Location

Hospital Universitario Cruces. Plaza de Cruces 12, 48903. Barakaldo, Bizkaia (País Vasco)