"Intuitive and engaging" hands-on Cell Culture and Analysis course successfully launched
2o January 2025
The UCL RESILIENCE Cell Culture and Analysis hands-on laboratory Modular Training for the Bioprocess Industries (MBI) course was successfully launched during the week of 14th – 16th Jan 2025 at the UCL East Marshgate Campus. Hands-on lab short courses are one of the key skills training programmes provided by the RESILIENCE Centre's Hubs, and the cell culture MBI was the first delivered by UCL.
Delegates taking part in the Cell Culture and Analysis MBI arrived with backgrounds in chemistry, biotechnology (bacterial fermentation), and yeast cell biology, and they indicated that they chose to complete the course to develop their career opportunities in the advanced therapy manufacturing sector.
The hands-on approach was well-received: delegates engaged well with the classroom elements and laboratory demonstrations that preceded independent and guided laboratory sessions. They provided complimentary feedback throughout the course and commented that the lectures were ‘very engaging’, and that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) they followed were ‘intuitive’.
Group solidarity
The solidarity amongst the small cohort of delegates was obvious from the beginning of the course, and this was supported by tutorial sessions performed mainly as groupwork. In the lab, the trainees worked to apply defined SOPs for conventional mammalian cell culture, analysis of cell activity using metabolic assays, and identification of cell phenotype using immunocytochemistry. They generated cell proliferation and immunofluorescence staining data that they were very happy to analyse. The course featured interactive tutorials with datasets to analyse, and the course tutors discussed and demonstrated various approaches that could be taken to analyse the cell images that the delegates had generated, including Python, MATLAB, and ImageJ plugins.
Trainees worked to apply defined SOPs for conventional mammalian cell culture, analysis of cell activity using metabolic assays, and identification of cell phenotype using immunocytochemistry.
Delegates were able to take away data sets they had generated in the lab for further analysis, and the course tutors ensured that they were provided with the information required to interrogate those results. RESILIENCE hands-on training is an ongoing service so course members will be able to contact the team at UCL with any questions regarding the SOPs that they were guided through in the laboratory.
Industrial interest
On Day Three of the MBI, Dr James Kusena from MFX and Dr Nicola Bevan from Sartorius delivered industry talks on cell manufacturing and analysis of cell function respectively. These aligned very well with the lectures delivered on day one and generated significant interest amongst the course members, with many questions arising during the Q&A sessions.
More to come
The Cell Culture and Analysis MBI is just one example of hands-on training being made possible through RESILIENCE. Watch thsi space for further examples launching in 2025 at UCL include Microbial Fermentation and Chromatography. All events will be advertised through our regularly updated Events Calendar.