Cell Culture Platform

DESCRIPTION

The Cell Culture Platform (PCC) includes three cell culture rooms: two rooms are dedicated to the cultivation of primary and established cell lines, and the third room is used to infect cells with viruses under level 2 biosafety conditions. The platform is currently active in three areas: (i) Research: the PCC is responsible for the correct operation and preventive maintenance of cultivation equipment, cleaning surveillance, waste management, biosecurity, microbiological controls and mycoplasmas. The services offered to external researchers include all the usual assignments of tasks related to cell culture. (ii) Technological development: the platform provides a service to test new culture-related products before commercialization (such as cell culture plates, factors and antibodies) and other advanced research tools. (iii) Cell-based therapies: industrial developments of advanced therapy drugs (cells, genes and tissues) are increasingly reaching hospitals in the form of clinical trials led by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. However, a major bottleneck for allogeneic cell-based products, which are generally shipped frozen, is handling of the cell product prior to infusion. Our hospital has quickly become one of the few national referral sites because we have the relevant experience and infrastructure to support cell-based assays.