Materials Required
Immortalized Human Primary Pancreatic Fibroblasts
Complete Immortalized Pancreatic Fibroblast Growth Medium (IPFGM001)
Sterile Phosphate-Buffered Saline (1× PBS; PBS001)
Cell Detachment Solution
Alphabiocoat-Coated Tissue Culture Flasks (T25)
37°C Humidified Incubator with 5% CO₂
Centrifuge (for passaging, if necessary)
Hemocytometer or Automated Cell Counter
Cryopreservation Medium
Liquid Nitrogen Storage System (for long-term preservation)
Cell Culture Protocol
1. Thawing Frozen Cells
Warm Medium: Pre-warm the complete fibroblast growth medium to 37°C.
Thaw Cells: Retrieve cryovial from liquid nitrogen and thaw quickly in a 37°C water bath (approximately 1–2 minutes). Immediately disinfect the vial with 70% ethanol.
Transfer: Gently pipette the thawed cell suspension into a 15 mL conical tube. Slowly add 5–10 mL of pre-warmed growth medium dropwise to reduce osmotic shock.
Centrifuge: Spin at 200 × g for 5 minutes to pellet the cells.
Resuspend & Plate: Carefully aspirate the supernatant, resuspend the pellet in fresh medium, and transfer to a T25 Alphabiocoat-coated flask.
Incubate: Place the flask in a 37°C, 5% CO₂ humidified incubator.
2. Routine Maintenance & Passaging
Monitor Cell Health: Observe cells daily using a microscope. Healthy fibroblasts should display a spindle-like morphology.
Media Change: Replace spent medium every 2–3 days or as needed.
Passaging (at ~80–90% Confluence):
Aspirate the old medium and gently rinse with 1–2 mL of PBS.
Add 1–2 mL of Cell Detachment Solution and incubate for 2–5 minutes at 37°C. Monitor detachment under a microscope.
Add 2–3 mL of Neutralizing Solution to stop enzymatic activity.
Gently pipette to achieve a single-cell suspension.
Optional: Centrifuge at 200 × g for 5 minutes if needed.
Resuspend in fresh medium and replate at a 1:2 to 1:4 split ratio depending on growth rate.
3. Cryopreservation
Harvest: Detach and collect cells using the standard passaging procedure (steps 2.2–2.5).
Count: Determine cell density using a hemocytometer or automated counter.
Prepare for Freezing: Resuspend cells in cryopreservation medium at 1–5 × 10⁶ cells/mL.
Aliquot: Dispense 1 mL of the suspension into each cryovial.
Freeze Gradually: Place cryovials in an isopropanol-based freezing container and store at –80°C overnight.
Long-Term Storage: Transfer vials to a liquid nitrogen tank the next day for long-term preservation.
4. Quality Control & Troubleshooting
Contamination Check: Routinely inspect cultures for signs of contamination such as turbidity or changes in pH (e.g., yellowing medium).
Morphology: Healthy fibroblasts are elongated and spindle-shaped. Rounded cells may indicate stress, overgrowth, or detachment.
Doubling Time: Immortalized fibroblasts should have a consistent doubling time of ~24–48 hours.
Expected Results
Cells should adhere to the flask surface within 24 hours of seeding.
Proliferation typically begins within 24–48 hours post-thaw or passage.
Immortalized pancreatic fibroblasts can generally be passaged 20–30 times before showing signs of senescence (if not fully immortalized).