Techniques
Hands-on methods for working with primary cells, grouped the same way as the Technique half of our Learning Center orbit. Each topic links to the step-by-step protocols, FAQs and products you need at the bench.
Technique
Blood & immune cells
PBMC, splenocytes, bone-marrow and thymus preparations need careful thawing and gentle handling to keep viability high. Flow cytometry is the usual way to confirm what is in the vial before an experiment.
Technique
Imaging
Functional imaging assays show whether endothelial cells behave like endothelium: Dil-Ac-LDL uptake and tube formation on matrix are the two classic read-outs. GFP, RFP and luciferase reporter lines make cells easy to track in co-culture and in vivo.
Technique
Culture & passaging
Most problems with primary cells start in the first hour: thawing too slowly, skipping the coating step, or seeding too sparsely. The protocols below cover recovery from the cryovial, coating, seeding, splitting and freezing.
Technique
Cell isolation
Primary cells are isolated from tissue with antibody-conjugated magnetic beads, for example PECAM-1 for endothelial cells and EpCAM for epithelial cells. If the cell type you need is not in the catalogue, it can be isolated to order from tissue or live animals you send.
