Welcome to Tissue-Culture-Microscopes
Often a generic term that refers to both organ culture and cell culture and the terms are often used interchangeably is called tissue culture. Cell cultures are derived from either primary tissue explants or cell suspensions. Primary cell cultures typically will have a finite life span in culture whereas continuous cell lines are, by definition, abnormal and are often transformed cell lines. Vertical and horizontal are the two types of laminar flow hoods. The vertical hood, also known as a biology safety cabinet, is best for working with hazardous organisms since the aerosols that are generated in the hood are filtered out before they are released into the surrounding environment. Horizontal hoods are designed such that the air flows directly at the operator hence they are not useful for working with hazardous organisms but are the best protection for your cultures.
Both types of hoods have continuous displacement of air that passes through a HEPA (high efficiency particle) filter that removes particulates from the air. The filter air in a vertical hood blows down from the top of the cabinet, in a horizontal hood; the filtered air blows out at the operator in a horizontal fashion. NOTE: these are not fume hoods and should not be used for volatile or explosive chemicals. They should also never be used for bacterial or fungal work. But be aware that only exposed surfaces will be accessible to the UV light since the hoods are equipped with a short-wave UV light that can be turned on for a few minutes to sterilize the surfaces of the hood. Do not put your hands or face near the hood when the UV light is on as the short wave light can cause skin and eye damage. The hoods should be turned on about 10-20 minutes before being used. Before and after each use, wipe down all surfaces with ethanol.
Keep the hood as free of clutter as possible because this will interfere with the laminar flow air pattern. The cells are grown in an atmosphere of 5-10% CO2 because the medium used is buffered with sodium bicarbonate/carbonic acid and the pH must be strictly maintained. To allow for sufficient gas exchange, culture flasks should have loosened caps. Cells should be left out of the incubator for as little time as possible and the incubator doors should not be opened for very long. The humidity must also be maintained for those cells growing in tissue culture dishes so a pan of water is kept filled at all times. Inverted phase contrast microscopes are used for visualizing the cells. When not in use, the microscopes should be kept covered and the lights turned down. Before using the microscope or whenever an objective is changed, check that the phase rings are aligned. Cells are stored in liquid nitrogen.
Call our Sales Hotline at 1-877-504-0359
Click here to view other Tissue-Culture-Microscopes Products.
