FAQ related to human and animal cell Lines

This page provides information about the handling of human and animal cell lines.
For questions related to the ordering of cell lines please see our FAQ here or download our short guideline on how to order from the DSMZ.

Please select the topic of interest

  • How do I prepare the cultivation medium I need?

    The composition of the cultivation medium for each cell line is provided in the online catalogue as well as in the DSMZCellDive database. Please note that the DSMZ does not sell ready-to-use cultivation medium.

  • What is the reason for heat-inactivation prior to usage?

    Heat-inactivation (heating to 56°C for 45 min) inactivates proteases of the complement system. This could be important for cells which are difficult to culture, or cells which will be used to prepare or assay viruses, used in cytotoxicity assays or other systems where complement may have an unwanted influence. On the other hand, heat inactivation may deplete serum growth factors.

  • Which sera are routinely used at the DSMZ as growth supplements?

    The DSMZ cell lines were all propagated in FBS/FCS (fetal bovine/calf serum) or HS (horse serum). With one exception (PB-1, ACC 241) we use only heat-inactivated serum.