East Port Seminar: Methods for real-time cell monitoring (Promega, Axion Biosystems)

Part 1 – Bioluminescence assays for measuring cell viability and metabolism (Promega)

Bioluminescence is the most sensitive detection method used in cell-based assays thanks to the very low background signal and wide dynamic range. In this part of the seminar, we will describe the basic principles of bioluminescence assays and how to measure them correctly. Then, we will discuss the most widely used and also the newest assays for measuring cell viability, cytotoxicity, and cellular metabolism in both endpoint and kinetic formats. At the end of this part, we will also introduce you to our GloMax luminometers and how you can use them for various bioluminescence applications. As a demonstration, we will show you a simple method for detecting Mycoplasma contamination in your cell cultures. We encourage you to bring your own culture media samples for testing.

Speaker:

Vojtěch Ledvina, Ph.D. – application specialist, East Port Praha

Free mycoplasma contamination testing of your cell cultures

We offer to all registered participants a free Mycoplasma cell culture contamination test - MycoAlert PLUS detection kit from LONZA. Measurements will be performed on one of the most sensitive luminometers on the market, the Glomax Discover. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, you must bring fresh supernatant of your cell culture prepared using the following procedure:

Transfer at least 2 ml of cell culture or culture supernatant to a centrifuge tube and spin at 1500 rpm (200 x g) for 5 minutes. For optimal assay sensitivity, we recommend bringing freshly prepared supernatant (optimally no older than 12 hours).

The complete protocol for this test can be found here.
Results will be available on site within 20 minutes.

Part 2 - Developing the best immunotherapies with real-time & label-free cell-based killing assays (Axion BioSystems)

Cell-killing assays are an essential step in the development and selection of the best candidate for immune therapy. However, often these assays are tedious, require reagents that may disturb cell physiology, or are endpoint assays that only measure cell death at the end, blinding the nuances of killing kinetics. Here we will discuss the advantages of the Maestro Z Impedance cell analysis platform, including selected applications of how this instrument accelerates immunotherapies development for T and NK cell therapies. This technology can also be used in general to monitor cell proliferation and cytotoxicity.

In this seminar, you will learn the following:

• Maestro Z is a label-free impedance sensing plate reader with a built-in CO2 incubator
• Real-time monitoring, control, and analysis of cellular interactions over days or weeks overcoming the limitation of endpoint assays
• Applications in the development of CAR T cells and (CAR) NK cells

Speaker:

Zhong Yu, Ph.D. – Scientific Liaisons Manager at AxionBioSystems

Programme

For whom the webinar is intended?

The seminar is open to all interested parties regardless of their field of study and age and is also suitable for university students. Registration is required for participation. The seminar will be conducted in English.