The primary functions of this core facility are to manage the cancer cell line repository and to assist cancer investigators with cell culture based research. The facility provides shared tissue culture areas which are well equipped and stocked with all of the necessary tissue culture reagents and supplies. Cancer cell lines are cultured and made available to investigators as either growing or frozen cell stocks. Frozen cell stocks are replenished as required. The cancer cell line repository, which has a capacity of 48,000 vials of cells, is managed through a complete inventory system and a computer database. A number of tissue culture related services are offered, including mycoplasma testing, helper virus rescue assays, charcoal stripping of calf serum, and growth curve analysis of new lots of fetal calf serum and calf serum. The genetic labeling of cancer cells with lacZ by either transduction with a retroviral vector or transfection with a plasmid vector, the production of conditioned media from cancer cells and the production of large numbers of cancer cells for animal experiments are developing services. The shared tissue culture areas are utilized by 47 investigators, trainees and technicians from 10 different cancer research laboratories representing CCSG programs. These researchers generally do not have tissue culture space in their individual laboratories. The cancer cell line repository is used by 70 individuals from 17 different cancer research laboratories. Mycoplasma testing is regularly requested by all of these laboratories and by many LCRC member laboratories located elsewhere in the University. The helper virus rescue assay is a recently offered service and has been used by 3 different cancer research laboratories. Genetic labeling of cells with lacZ has been requested by 6 cancer research laboratories, conditioned media production has been requested by 5 cancer research laboratories, and bulk cancer cell production has been requested by 8 cancer research laboratories.
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