Technical library

Choosing a suitable culture medium is crucial factor for in vitro cell cultivation and significantly affects the success of cell culture experiments, from the first step of development and when transitioning to clinical applications. Due to specific requirements of primary cells and each researcher’s application, we provide a wide range of advanced media formulations.

Therefore, it is essential for researchers to have a clear understanding of how to define the specifications of our cell culture media and reagents, from serum-free or xeno-free to chemically defined, to estimate and understand the associated implications for their intended applications. We can support you by providing a comprehensive guideline for the characterization and qualification of our cell culture media and reagents.

Discover and download our Media & Reagents Specification Guide

Without cytokines, the macrophages will die very quickly. You must supplement the Macrophage Base Medium XF (Bsal Medium + SupplementMix) with the appropriate cytokines or at least with human AB serum.

Yes. The Primary Cancer Culture System (PCCS, C‑28081) supports cancer stem cells (CSC) independent of their tissue origin. Therefore, it can also be used for CSCs derived from blood cancers.
 
Important modification for suspension cells
When working with suspension cells, PromoCell recommends not coating the culture vessel surface with the NCCD reagent.
Instead:

• Add 12.5 µl NCCD per ml of PCCS medium directly to the culture medium.
• Seed the suspension cells directly into the supplemented PCCS medium.

This approach ensures optimal conditions for CSC survival and maintenance in suspension cultures.

Yes, our cancer media (Primary Cancer Culture System/PCCS, 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF, Cancer Cell Line Medium XF) also support the growth of murine tumor cells.

Yes. The Primary Cancer Culture System (PCCS, Cat. No. C‑28081) is highly suitable for the isolation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) from fresh tumor tissue.
PCCS is designed to be highly selective for cancer stem cells. Under these culture conditions:

• Cancer stem cells are maintained and enriched
• Differentiated tumor cells and non‑malignant cells are eliminated within a short time
• The resulting culture is therefore strongly enriched for CSC‑like cells

This selectivity makes PCCS particularly well suited for establishing patient‑derived cancer stem cell cultures.
For additional details and experimental background, please refer to the Application Note: "Isolation of patient-derived primary cancer cells".

In the Primary Cancer Culture System (PCCS, C‑28081), only malignant tumor cells are supported.

As a result:

• Benign animal cells, such as fibroblasts, are not supported and are depleted under PCCS conditions.
• Malignant human tumor cells survive and can be maintained in culture.

This selective culture environment enables the enrichment of malignant human tumor cells while eliminating benign animal cell contamination.

Alcian Blue stains cartilage‑specific components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by chondrocytes, most notably aggrecan and other sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).
However, to our knowledge, chondrocytes express significant amounts of aggrecan only when cultured in a 3‑D environment, such as spheroids or pellet cultures, and not when grown in conventional 2‑D monolayer culture. Therefore, Alcian Blue staining is generally not suitable for detecting cartilage matrix in monolayer‑cultured chondrocytes.

PromoCell Skeletal Muscle Cells (SkMC) are primarily isolated from the pectoralis muscle (M. pectoralis).
In some cases, SkMC may also be isolated from other skeletal muscles, including:

• Gastrocnemius muscle (M. gastrocnemius)
• Intercostal muscles (Mm. intercostales)
• Gluteus maximus muscle (M. gluteus maximus)

The exact anatomical origin of the tissue used for a particular cell lot is documented in the corresponding Certificate of Analysis (CoA).

Note: If a specific muscle origin is required for your study, our Scientific Support team will be happy to assist you in identifying suitable cell lots.

PromoCell’s Trypsin Neutralization Solution (TNS) contains 0.05% (w/v) trypsin inhibitor from soybean, dissolved in Hepes‑BSS supplemented with 0.1% BSA.

Yes, you can aliquot the SupplementMix upon delivery and freeze down 2 or 4 individual aliquots at -20°C. This way, you can prepare smaller volumes (2 x 250 ml or 4 x 125 ml) of complete culture medium and thus extend the time you can use the medium.