1-Click Imaging for Rapid Mycoplasma Analysis and Cell Culture Samples Application Note · UVP GelStudio

Introduction

The detection of mycoplasma contaminants in cell culture and the downstream biologicals is critical due to the negative effects of mycoplasma on cellular physiology.

Mycoplasma contamination in continuous animal cell cultures has long been known to be a serious problem due to the wide range of mycoplasma induced effects on the cells in culture ranging from modifications to cellular gene expression to signal transduction pathway activation (1,2), leading to data that might be equally compromised due to the unintended effects of the Mycoplasma contamination.

The source of mycoplasma in biopharmaceuticals can be traced from the raw materials, cell lines and cell cultures used in manufacturing. Early detection therefore allows for fast decision making and corrective action to conserve downstream product integrity.

For commercial suppliers of cell lines, the ability to rapidly analyze cultures for microbial contamination, particularly contamination from Mycoplasma, is critical. A critical aspect is the monitoring of Mycoplasma contamination and the certification that there is no contamination in cell lines.

The new UVP GelStudio has several features that simplify Mycoplasma analysis. This includes automation scripts that permit out-of-the-box one click capture of a fluorescent PCR gel result. The automation extends annotating the gel image and saving the raw image for routine gel labeling and archiving.