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Gentle Mouse B Cell Enrichment: Strategies for Preserving Fragile Mouse B Cells

October 2021

Mouse B Cell Enrichment: How to Culture Isolated Mouse B Cells The primary function of B cells is antibody production. They are called B cells because they mature in the bone marrow, while T cells mature in the thymus. Receptors on the surface of a B cell bind to foreign antigens and develop antibodies that suppress that specific pathogen. Understanding more about how B cells work can provide insight into …

Living Cells can React to Magnetic Signals

March 2021

Researchers and scientists around the world have long theorized that the inherent directional systems in various animals (including migratory animals like birds, butterflies, whales, and possibly even humans) could have a magnetic component – that internal navigational impulses are related in some way to Earth’s magnetic field. While this has been a long-standing theory, the underlying cellular mechanisms that support the ability of an organism to detect magnetic field to …

Cell Dissociation Methods for Disaggregation of Tissue: Mechanical vs Enzymatic vs Chemical

March 2021

Cell Dissociation Methods for Disaggregation of Tissue: Mechanical vs Enzymatic vs Chemical

Cell Dissociation Methods Research is undertaken step by step, and cutting corners provides inaccurate results. It’s important to follow proper protocol from beginning to end to ensure the highest quality findings possible. When working with cells of any kind (immune cells, tumor cells, etc.) the first step is always to collect the desired cell sample from the host tissue. Dissociation, sometimes called disaggregation, involves the breaking down of a cell …

T Cell Immunity & the COVID-19 Vaccine

March 2021

COVID-19 Cells

COVID-19 Reinfection In January 2020, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed the first domestic case of COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Soon after, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, spreading at exponential rates and drastically altering the world as we knew it. After more than a year of research and experiments, we’ve begun to learn more about the mechanisms of this coronavirus variant, and how …

Improving COVID-19 Detection using Saliva Samples instead of NPS

March 2021

  Saliva-based tests can simplify, accelerate, and increase the availability of COVID-19 testing – and potentially lead to better patient outcomes.   The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause illness across the world, but there is hope on the horizon as improved testing, treatments, and vaccines make their way to the global population. With the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and mutations, however, it is more important than ever that testing …

COVID-19 Vaccine: How do mRNA Vaccines Work?

February 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine vials

What is an mRNA Vaccine? Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is genetic material that acts as instructions for cells to develop proteins. An mRNA vaccine harnesses the productive capabilities of mRNA to build up immunities by subjecting the body to proteins that will be recognizable in the future if naturally exposed to a virus. How do mRNA Vaccines Work? While most vaccines contain a weakened or inactive infectious pathogen, mRNA vaccines …

Cell Culture Problems: Cell Clumping – Causes, How to Unclump Cells & How to Avoid Cell Clumping

February 2021

Cell Culture Problems: Cell Clumping – Causes, How to Unclump Cells & How to Avoid Cell Clumping

What is Cell Clumping? When working with single-suspension cell cultures in a growth medium, it is not uncommon to experience cell loss in a sample. As cells are ruptured, they release DNA and debris that cause cells to aggregate into large clumps that make it difficult for them to expand. Cell clumping can both lead to and be caused by cell apoptosis, or cell death.  As more cells die and …

Cell Harvesting: Methods for Isolating Cell Cultures from a Growth Medium

February 2021

female biologist in a laboratory

Isolating Cell Cultures from a Medium The process of culturing cells involves the introduction of a host population to a growth medium, allowing the population to reproduce quickly in a nutrient-rich environment. After enough cells have spawned to satisfy the requirements of the intended experiment, those same cells need to be removed from the cell culture medium. The cells are intertwined within the substance in which they multiplied and need …

Cell Culture Contamination: Identifying Mycoplasma, Fungus, and Bacteria in a Growth Medium

February 2021

Colleagues working in a science lab

Contamination in Cell Cultures Medical research is an ever-evolving field that continues to contribute to the advancement of human health. A key component of this type of research is the process of cell culturing, which involves the isolation and expansion of a cell population. The cell culture process begins with the extraction of a target sample. Once the desired cells have been acquired, they must be purified to minimize contamination. …

Culturing T Cells: Primary T Cell Culture and T Cell Expansion Protocol

February 2021

t-cells

Isolating and Culturing T Cells One of the best ways to increase the accuracy of research is to increase the sample size that is being studied. The larger the group of subjects, the more representative they may be of the total population. Not to mention experiment security in case something goes wrong. In the field of medical research this increase in population can be carried out by culturing cells. Cell …

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