We are almost ready to culture my little tumour baby cells. Since they are primary cells, we need to work in the ‘Dirty’ Lab area. As previously mentioned, this does not mean that the lab is any less clean or sterile, but rather relates to the type of cells used. Since my fibroid cells are primary cells and untested for mycoplasma and other potentially infectious agents, they cannot be cultured in stem cell and cell line areas.

“Dirty” Cell Culture Lab

The incubator has been out of action, so the first task is to clean the shelves, change the sterile water and decontaminate the interior.

Washing the incubator shelves

The incubator we are using has an auto-clean function that super heats the interior to sterilise everything. A nice feature!

Incubator

Once the incubator has gone through the full cycle (approx. 24 hours), it will be ready to host my cells.