EndoGRO <™Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC)

"The successful, reliable culture of epithelial cells is critical for many areas of research, including dermatology, respiratory research, and cancer research. Because the breakdown of control mechanisms in epithelial cells is a frequent contributor to cancer progression and metastasis, epithelial cell culture is particularly important for cancer research. EpiGRO™ media formulations are optimized to provide better viability, proliferation rates, morphology and culture stability than other commercially available options. The media are provided in unique, light-blocking, temperature-monitored packaging to ensure stability and protect the media from damage by light, contamination, and excessive heat. The media do not require or contain any antimicrobials or phenol red. These components can cause cell stress and influence experimental results by masking the true performance or health of the cell culture. Phenol red acts like an estrogen and may stimulate growth independently of experimental variables. "

Expression of genetically-encoded fluorescently-tagged proteins has widely been employed for real-time visualization of cellular behavior and trafficking. Prepackaged, ready-to-use, high-titer lentiviral particles (which we have termed “lentiviral biosensors”) encoding GFP- or RFP-tagged proteins are a convenient, robust solution for fluorescent imaging of transduced cells. Compared to other nonviral transfection methods, lentiviral transduction, in many cases, offers higher transfection efficiency and more homogeneous protein expression, particularly for traditionally hard-to-transfect primary cell types. Lentiviral biosensors are ideal for use with fixed and live cell fluorescent microscopy, and are non-disruptive towards cellular function. GFP- or RFP-protein localization matches well with antibody-based immunostaining and demonstrates altered patterns of expression upon treatment with modulators of cell function and phenotype. Lentiviral biosensors provide a broadly effective, convenient method for visualization of cell behavior under a variety of physiological and pathological treatment conditions, in both endpoint and real-time imaging modalities. In this study, we focus on lentiviral biosensors containing GFP-LC3 and RFP-LC3 for the study of autophagosome formation.

Cell sorting based on RNA detection in living cells using SmartFlare™ RNA Detection Reagents. The ability to detect and separate live cells based on the level of a specific RNA target provides a new opportunity to study cellular functions and identify rare cell types such as certain tumor cells and cancer stem cells. This technology enables the sorting of cell populations that were previously difficult to sort, and improves sorting accuracy by using biologically relevant intracellular markers.