Regulatory: Cell processing

Cell processing services include:

• Skin punch biopsy. This minimally invasive procedure uses a circular punch tool to remove a precise, uniform section of skin. This section of skin — typically from the forearm or behind the ear — contains a variety of cell types, including dermal fibroblasts. This technique ensures that high-quality skin samples are collected for downstream applications, such as fibroblast isolation and reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells.
• Skin fibroblast isolation and expansion with biobanking. After a skin punch biopsy, skin fibroblasts are isolated from the collected dermal tissue through enzymatic digestion and mechanical separation. Then these fibroblasts are expanded in culture to generate large numbers of cells. Once a sufficient quantity of fibroblasts has been cultured, they are cryopreserved for long-term storage in a biobank. The biobanking process ensures that the fibroblasts remain viable and accessible for future reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells or for other research applications, providing a reliable resource for ongoing studies.
• Peripheral blood mononuclear cell isolation from whole blood with expansion and biobanking. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells are isolated from whole blood using density gradient centrifugation, a method that separates monocytes, lymphocytes and other key immune cells based on their density. Then these peripheral blood mononuclear cells are expanded in culture to generate a sufficient cell population for research purposes. Following expansion, the cells are cryopreserved and stored in a biobank, allowing for easy access to well-preserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells for future experimentation or reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells. This process ensures that high-quality, viable peripheral blood mononuclear cells are available for a wide range of immunological and stem cell-based research projects.

For more information, contact the core.