CELLBANK AUSTRALIA'S NEWSLETTER

Good Cell Culture Practice

Standardized Cell Lines for In Vitro Genetic Toxicity Testing

Under the auspices of the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI; Washington, DC, US) Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee (GTTC), stocks of four cell lines have been specifically prepared for use in In Vitro Genetic Toxicity (IVGT) testing and deposited in two cell line repositories, the European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures (ECACC; Porton Down, Salisbury, UK) (L5178Y TK+/− 3.7.2C, TK6 and CHO-WBL cell lines) and the JCRB Cell Bank (Osaka, JP) (CHL/IU cell line).

Recommendations for the handling of the four ‘IVGT’ cell lines and for monitoring their characteristics have now also been made by Dr Jennifer Young Tanir, HESI Manager, and collaborators. Their article, titled "Standardized cell sources and recommendations for good cell culture practices in genotoxicity testing," was published in the journal, Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, on 3 August 2016. Here, the authors also report the growth characteristics of these cell lines (growth rates and cell cycles), their identity (karyotypes and genetic status) and ranges of background frequencies of select endpoints.

To read the article, click here. To read a fact sheet about the GTTC, click here.

Good Cell Culture Practice: Stem Cells and Organoids

A new and updated version of GCCP called “GCCP 2.0” is under development. As one step toward GCCP 2.0, two workshops titled "Good Cell Culture Practice: human stem cells and organoids," were held in 2015. A stand-alone report from those workshops was published in the journal ALTEX on 23 August 2016.

Corresponding author, David Pamies, told me that the workshops identified "key new elements of GCCP 2.0" and that the initiative is looking for "experts around the globe willing to help developing, implementing and promoting GCCP."

To read the report, click here. To offer your expert help to the GCCP 2.0 initiative, please email David Pamies at dpamies1@jhu.edu.

Cell-based Research

Biochemical and Biophysical Cues in Stem Cell Culture Research

To facilitate their adoption in stem cell biology, Australian researchers have summarized the most important biophysical cues and methods for the culture of human stem cells. Their review article, titled "Modulation of human mesenchymal and pluripotent stem cell behaviour using biophysical and biochemical cues: A review," was published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering on 17 August 2016.

To read the article, click here.

Cultured Sheep Cells in Human Therapeutic Hair Induction Research

Australian researchers have determined from co-culture experiments that soluble factors secreted by ovine dermal papilla cells (DPC) and present in lamb serum increase the aggregative behavior of human DPC. Their article, titled "The effect of ovine secreted soluble factors on human dermal papilla cell aggregation," was published in the International Journal of Trichology on 24 August 2016.

To read the article, click here.

Cellular Reprogramming to Model the Human Brain In Vitro

Dr Cedric Bardy, the Director of the Laboratory for Human Neurophysiology and Genetics at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI; Adelaide, AU), has discussed progresses in stem cell reprogramming technologies that have the potential to lead to the discovery of new clinical treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders in a RegMedNet interview on 10 August 2016.

To read the interview, click here.