Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) Generation & Expansion
Sampled provides a lymphoblastoid cell line generation and expansion service, so you will always have a reliable and validated bank of cell lines to use whenever you need it. Difficult-go-grow lines are no problem for Sampled’s team of experts.
What are LCL Generation and Expansion and Cell Line Banking?
Sampled can also generate immortalized LCLs from whole blood or preserved lymphocytes.
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are isolated from whole blood samples and transformed with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to generate immortalized LCLs, which can be expanded and stored for later thawing as and when the customer requires.
We also offer a cell banking and expansion service for any type of cell line. Cell line expansion involves the growth of a cell line in culture to create a high number of cells for storage and future use. Over time, cells can differentiate, become contaminated, or be overgrown by a subpopulation, so you may not be sure exactly what you are working with. Having a secure and sufficiently large bank of frozen cells means you always have something to fall back on in case the worst happens. Cell line expansion also increases the reproducibility of results by ensuring the passage number of cells does not vary significantly across replicates. Cell line expansion also provides sufficient raw materials like DNA or RNA for sequencing studies.
Cell line expansion services are particularly important for rare and difficult-to-grow cell types. Furthermore, maintaining a stock of cells in-house comes with significant costs and risks, such as power outages. By outsourcing your cell line expansion and storage to Sampled, you can simply request a vial of the cells whenever you need them, and you can be sure you know precisely what you are working with. You decide how many stocks you want, and Sampled will maintain them.
Why Use Sampled’s LCL Generation and Expansion and Cell Line Banking Services?
Sampled’s LCL generation and expansion and cell line banking services come with a variety of benefits to the client.
Cell Banking
Having a dedicated cell bank means that researchers don’t need to worry about contaminated or high-passage cells that are no longer fit for use; our clients have an on-demand repository of reliable and validated cell lines to draw upon whenever they need. This can save clients from the risks associated with storing samples in-house, such as power outages and contamination.
Technical Expertise
By trusting Sampled with LCL generation, expansion, and cell banking, you can be sure you are using the highest quality cells for your research. We have broad expertise working with a wide variety of cell lines, including adherent and suspension cells from multiple model systems. Additionally, our team of experts can generate stable cell lines from whole blood and skin biopsies. These are particularly challenging techniques, but here at Sampled, we have a 99% success rate in turning B-cells into LCLs, meaning we achieve consistent and reliable results. By not outsourcing, researchers may risk losing a precious blood sample without generating LCLs.
Time and Cost Efficiency
Maintaining in-house stores of cell lines and developing the expertise to properly handle them is expensive and time-consuming. By outsourcing cell line expansion to Sampled, researchers will have more time and resources to focus on other aspects of their work rather than spending precious time on the labor-intensive process of cell line expansion.
LCL Generation and Expansion and Cell Banking Applications
LCL generation and expansion and cell line banking come with a broad array of potential applications, which are advantageous across diverse research settings.
- Cell biology research
- Immunology research
- Disease modeling
- Drug discovery
- Clinical trials
- Research studies
- Biomarker discovery
- Development modeling
How Do LCL Generation and Expansion and Cell Banking Work?
LCL Generation and Expansion
Sample Receipt
Sample collection can be facilitated by our custom kitting team, who can provide all the necessary consumables in a tailor-made, unique sample collection kit.
Sample shipping for whole blood or cryopreserved lymphocytes can then be arranged by our logistics team, who work with a selection of courier services and will deal with any issues that arise, as well as provide the required equipment or consumables. Alternatively, you can arrange your own shipping if you prefer.
When we receive your samples, they are processed immediately and maintained in optimal conditions to protect sample integrity. All samples are accessioned using barcoded labels for full traceability.
PBMC Isolation
The next step in the LCL expansion workflow is to isolate PBMCs from whole blood samples. This is done by our team of experienced cell biologists using well-established density gradient centrifugation protocols.
Transformation to Promote LCL Formation
Isolated PBMCs are then transformed with EBV to promote their transformation into EBV-bearing immortalized LCLs. This step is always carried out by experienced cell biologists, and Sampled is proud to have a 99% success rate for LCL production. This process generally takes 1-3 months.
Quality Control
Our team of experts will perform quality control (QC) on your cells to ensure the transformation process has been successful and that they are suitable for expansion and storage. This includes viability testing and sterility. However, we also offer further QC options, depending on our clients’ requirements.
LCL Storage
Once we have successfully generated high-quality, viable immortalized LCLs from a sample, we expand and freeze them down as per our cell banking service, allowing us to make LCLs available to customers whenever they need them. LCLs can also be processed further to generate high-quality DNA, RNA, or protein samples suitable for our multiomics services or to be sent back to clients who wish to perform their own analysis.
Cell Line Banking
Sample Receipt
Sampled are prepared to receive virtually any cell line, including adherent and non-adherent cells from various model systems. Our logistics team can arrange cell line shipping with several courier services. They will deal with any issues that arise and provide the required equipment or consumables (dry ice, freezers, and liquid nitrogen dewars are available). Alternatively, you can arrange your own shipping if you prefer. When we receive your cell lines, they will be processed immediately, keeping cells at optimal conditions to ensure the integrity of the cells is protected. Cells will be expanded and frozen depending on our clients’ requirements.
Quality Control
Our team of experts will perform QC on your cell lines to ensure they are suitable for expansion and storage. This includes viability testing and sterility. However, we also offer further QC options, depending on our clients’ requirements.
Cell Line Expansion
Our expert team of cell biologists will perform cell expansion using the highest quality reagents and equipment with well-established protocols. We will produce as many vials of high-quality cells as our client wants, ensuring they will never be without cells when they need them.
Cell Line Storage
Expanded, frozen cell lines will be kept at the appropriate temperature in our vast storage facilities. Generally, frozen cell lines will be stored in liquid nitrogen vapor phase −196°C/ −320°F for long-term storage after being frozen down gradually. All of our liquid nitrogen storage systems are auto-filled for ultimate sample security.
Vial Shipping
We can store cells indefinitely or until a customer requests them. As soon as you need a cell sample, our dedicated logistics team will be on hand to ship a vial to you without compromising the integrity of your cells. That way, you always have high-quality cells available whenever you need them.
What Are the Input Requirements for LCL Generation and Expansion and Cell Line Banking?
Here at Sampled, we can store and expand any cell line from species including, but not limited to, humans, mice, and rats.
| Item | Type |
|---|---|
| Sample Types |
LCL Generation:Whole blood, preserved lymphocyte sample Cell Line Banking: Any cell line |
| Storage/Transport Conditions | Whole blood – ambient Cell lines – frozen |
| Input Requirements | 1 million cells/vial |
| Workflow Time |
LCL Generation: 1-3 months Cell Line Banking: Indefinite storage possible |
Find out more about our cell line expansion services
Interested in outsourcing cell line storage and expansion? Looking to generate LCLs from a blood sample but worried about the technical difficulty? Get in touch with an expert today to discover more about our cell line expansion services and ask for a personalized quote!
