Facilities

Material resources and infrastructure of the Stem Cell Bank.

The resources available for the development of this project are the highest level in its category, with dedicated laboratories of new construction / installation, and personnel of the highest professional qualification for the development of the same.

Laboratories equipped for the generation, culture and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells consists of work surfaces, walls and non-porous floor, smooth and easy to clean and an access area that allows changing clothes for people who access the cultivation area.

The Stem Cell Bank of Barcelona has 2 culture rooms and cryogenics room that have the following equipment:

General culture room:

3 microbiological and cytostatic safety cabinets (Nuaire) / 1 laminar flow cabinet for embryo manipulation with 2 stereomicroscopes (KSystems) / 1 inverted microscope with attached micromanipulators and laser system (Olympus) / 1 inverted microscope (Brand) / 8 incubators CO2 (Revco, Heracell and Binder) / 1 centrifuge (Beckman Coulter) / 1 desktop centrifuge (Eppendorf).

Culture room for quarantine:

1 microbiological and cytostatic safety cabinet (Telstar) / 1 laminar flow cabinet for embryo manipulation with coupled stereomicroscope (K-Systems) / 1 inverted microscope with attached micromanipulators and laser system (Olympus) / 4 CO2 incubators (Revco and Binder ) / 1 centrifuge (Beckman Coulter) / 1 desktop centrifuge (Eppendorf) / 1 inverted microscope (Olympus) / 1 fluorescence inverted microscope (Leika). Both the rooms are physically separated, so that the routine activity of the B-SCB may include quarantine periods for the lines deposited therein, and the possibility of physical separation as a containment barrier for experimental incidents against safety and security.

Cryogenics room:

1 freezer at -80ºC (Revco) / 1 LN2 Storage Unit for cell storage (CBS) / 1 programmable freezer (Freeze Control).

The B-SCB has the technical support of IDIBELL platforms:

Optical microscopy unit: multifocal laser confocal microscopy, time-lapse optical microscopy, optical microscopes and stereomicroscopes.
Electron microscopy unit: scanning and transmission electron microscope for ultrastructure studies.
Histology unit: conventional histology service for fresh and frozen paraffin embedded samples (cryostat, microtome, vibratome, ultramicrotome), and conventional histological and immunochemical stains.
Molecular biology unit: offers different molecular biology techniques such as qRT-PCR, PCR analysis