Immunodiagnostic Antibody Technologies

Immunodiagnostics take advantage of the capability of antibodies to attach to an antigen of interest. This time-saving, specific, and sensitive approach is crucial to the understanding and diagnosis of various diseases. Immunodiagnostics allow for important insights into numerous health conditions, whether cardiac, metabolic, cancer, or infectious disease. This has allowed the development of targeted therapies and treatments. At Cell Culture Company, we are your supply chain source for the support of immunodiagnostic antibody technology.

Better Ailment Diagnosis

White blood cells in the body produce antibodies which fight against antigens/foreign bodies by attaching in a highly specific manner.

When it comes to having an effective treatment for ailments, making a correct diagnosis is key. Recent developments in immunodiagnostics have improved the possibilities for diagnosis and successful treatments. Scientists worldwide are continually working to create more sensitive, specific, and cost-efficient methods of diagnosis.

There are various types of immunodiagnostics which have been used or are still being used today. These include:

Radioimmunoassays (RIA)

As the earliest type of immunoassays, RIAs were produced in the 1950s and are among the most sensitive procedures that utilize radiolabeling. However, they are not commonly used today due to the health risk discovered from radioactive exposure.

Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs)

As a replacement for RIAs, ELISAs are a reliable and common diagnostic tool. The antibody binds to antigens and a secondary antibody connected to an enzyme that reacts by changing the color of a substrate.

Fluorescent Immunoassays (FIAs)

With FIAs, an antibody that binds to antigens is identified with a fluorescent chemical compound that emits light when excited with a particular light wavelength. Flow cytometers are commonly used to increase the usefulness of this immunodiagnostic process.

Chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIAs)

This immunodiagnostic combines antigen-binding and chemical reactions generating an easily detectable photon of light.

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) or Lateral Flow Test

This is a diagnostic device that verifies the absence or presence of a particle of interest such as a pathogen that may be present in food, water, a blood sample, or urine. Often it includes a line to verify the validity of the kit and another line or lines used for detection. These tests may be used for food, health, agricultural, and environmental applications.

To learn about the immunodiagnostic antibody technological capabilities we offer, give us a call today at 763.786.0302 or reach us through our contact form.

T-flasks vs. Roller Bottles vs. Spinner Flasks vs. Cell Factories

Common types of containers used to grow cells include t-flasks, roller bottles, cell factories, and spinner flasks. What determines the container used is the type of cells you are attempting to expand and/or size of the culture. The two prominent types of cell shape and growth style are adherent cells and suspension cells.

Adherent cells need a surface to which they can attach to for growth and multiplication. T-flasks, roller bottles and cell factories can be made with coated surfaces to which adherent cells may attach themselves. Surface area is the measurement criteria in these cases.

On the other hand, suspension cells are able to grow “suspended” or free-floating in a liquid growth medium. Spinner flasks are commonly chosen based on desired quantity of cells and use volume measurements, such as liters and milliliters.

T-flasks

One coated side of a T-flask for adherent cells is used for cells to grow upon. A suspension cell line would use a non-coated T-flask. These are ideal when you are beginning from a small quantity of cells, such as the start of a cell culture from a single thawed cell bank vial.

Roller Bottles

Roller bottles are slowly rotated with a machine, which allows the cells to grow on the whole inner surface of the container. As the container rotates, exposure occurs between the liquid media and the cells inside of the container. When higher quantities of cells are required, roller bottles are often the desirable choice as cells can grow on all of the inner surface. Often a cell culture is started in a T-flask with roller bottles serving as the next step up as cell quantities increase. Similarly to T-flasks, adherent cells would require a coated bottle and suspension cells would require a non-coated bottle.

Cell Factories

Cell culture amplification utilizes cell factories for industrial production of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines or in a reduced size lab space. In addition, this smaller footprint will allow for reduced manipulation, less labor hours needed for maintenance, and lower equipment requirements of a lab space.

Spinner Flasks

These flasks utilize a rotating magnet plate, driving a magnetic stirrer. This stirrer provides uniform, constant agitation, preventing the cells from settling to the bottom and keeping them uniformly distributed throughout the growth medium. This vessel is only appropriate for use with suspension cell lines. Hybridomas can be grown in spinner flasks for monoclonal antibody production, in which the antibody-enriched supernatant is purified. At Cell Culture Company, we are your source for various cell and antibody production services.

To learn about the services we offer for cell culture growth and multiplication give us a call today at 763.786.0302 or reach us through our contact form.

An Introduction to Insect Cell Culture

When it comes to heterologous protein expression, insect cell culture is often the preferred choice. Whether for basic research or large-scale production, insect cells have the capability of expressing large numbers of proteins that possess intricate post-translational changes. Insect cell cultures are used extensively for studies involving microbial pathology, developmental biology, and cell physiology. At Cell Culture Company, we promote medical research advancements in antibody production which support the creation of treatments that meet various patient health needs.

Insect Cell Lines

The study of insect viruses utilizes the essential tool of insect cell culture. The initial cell cultures were started around 1960 from insects. From that time, over 600 insect cell lines have stemmed from more than 100 species of insects – most of these having come from dipteran (flies and mosquitoes) and lepidopteran (moths) insects.

The most extensively used among these are the Trichoplusia ni High Five, Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9, and Drosophila S2 cell lines. The first two are vulnerable to certain viruses that are utilized for the expression of foreign genes. An example of this is for vaccine production to generate proteins for crystallography or functional analysis and to generate gene delivery vectors for mammalian cells.

Recombinant Protein Production With Insect Cell Lines

The system of insect cell culture-based protein expression is easy to scale up and inexpensive. Since they are eukaryotic, insect cells enable proper folding and post-translational modification. This purified protein can even have therapeutic uses. The easy purification process allows for a high level of purity, specifically during the secretion of recombinant protein in the cell culture medium.

Insect cell lines functioning as production hosts are a new and developing technology for the development of biopharmaceuticals. Currently, there are over 100 of these cell lines accessible for the production of recombinant protein, originating from various moth and worm species being particularly noteworthy.

To learn about cell culture and antibody production services we offer at Cell Culture Company, give us a call today at 763.786.0302 or reach us through our contact form.

What are Hybridoma Cells?

Hybridoma cells are most commonly used in the production of monoclonal antibodies, which are used in a variety of applications such as cancer diagnosis, drug development, and immunotherapy. The process of creating hybridoma cells is complex and involves several steps. First, a myeloma cell is fused with a B-lymphocyte cell using a technique called somatic cell fusion. The resulting hybrid cells are then placed in a culture medium and allowed to grow. As the cells continue to divide, they produce more and more antibodies. These antibodies can then be isolated and purified for use in many applications.

Advantages of Hybridoma Cell Culture:

The advantages of hybridoma cell culture are numerous. For one, the hybridoma cells can be genetically modified to produce custom antibodies that can be used to target specific diseases or antigens. Additionally, hybridoma cell culture is relatively easy to set up and maintain, making it a cost-effective option. Furthermore, the hybridoma cells produce high yields of antibodies and are relatively stable over long periods of time.

Drawbacks

Despite these advantages, hybridoma cell culture has some drawbacks. The process of creating hybridoma cells is expensive and time-consuming, making it a cost-prohibitive barrier for applications other than commercial production. Traditional methods for retrieving these antibodies relies on the use of animals in a laboratory setting, however the work we do at Cell Culture Company removes the need for this highly variable and archaic approach..

Overall, hybridoma cell culture is an important tool in the production of monoclonal antibodies, which are used in a variety of applications. By understanding the process of hybridoma cell culture and its advantages and disadvantages, scientists can make informed decisions about how best to use this technology.

Cell Culture Company is your trusted source for reliable hybridoma cell culture services. Our extensive experience of over 40 years in producing hybridoma cells will save you time and hassle, while giving you the confidence that your project will be handled with exceptional expertise.

Proteomics and Cell Culture

The term, proteome, has reference to the total quantity of proteins present at any given time in a cell, tissue, or organism. The total number of these proteins can vary over time and between types of cells and conditions of growth because of the variations in gene expression. Proteomics is a quickly advancing sector in the broader field of molecular biology that focuses on the high throughput, yet organized and efficient approach to the analysis of protein expressions in a cell or organism. Proteomics studies typically provide results in the form of protein content inventories of proteins differentially expressed throughout various conditions. At Cell Culture Company, we support proteomics research.

The Function of Proteomics

Proteomics evaluates the actions, changes, and exchanges within protein complexes, which establishes their function. The importance of proteins within systems of cells cannot be overstated. They provide structural elements, maintain metabolic processes, and are key in regulating gene expression, operating as signal initiators or receptors and composing the subsequent products.

A cell reacts to external and internal modifications by regulating the level and activity of its proteins. As a result, changes in the proteome reveal a picture of the activity of the cell. Proteomics allows for the knowledge and understanding of the operation, structure, and interactions of all of the protein content in a particular organism.

Proteomics involves various areas of study today, including protein function, protein interaction, protein localization, and protein modification. The main objective of proteomics is to identify all of the proteins in a cell and produce a comprehensive 3D cell map that pinpoints their specific locations and distributions.

Proteomics and Genomics

Proteomics uses various methodologies in the study of functional genomics and disease models, including mass spectrometry, sequencing, and immunoassays. Post-translational modifications are recognized in this area of research.

Proteomics often involves a parallel line of study with genomics. Genomics begins with a gene for the purposes of making conclusions about its proteins. On the other hand proteomics starts with a protein that is functionally modified and proceeds backwards to the gene which produced it.

For information about our services related to proteomics and cell culture work, call us today at 763.786.0302 or reach us through our contact form.