Mammalian Cell culture is the techniques used for growing cells obtained from humans or other mammals in vitro, that is in flasks or bioreactors. Today, mammalian cell culture is a key technology in many biotechnological applications and in the medical field. It is used commercially in the manufacturing of biological products such as antibodies, hormones, enzymes, vaccines, etc. Scientist use them to understand basic cell biology and biochemistry of diseases.

In this workshop, you will be learning about the principles behind the setup of a cell culture laboratory and the guidelines that ensure safety of the lab personnel as well as the cultured cells.  It will cover the techniques for growing of cells, cell propagation and storage. It will also address potential microbiological contaminants and how they can be avoided.

Flow cytometry is a state-of-the-art technology, which can simultaneously measure physical (such as size and granularity) and chemical characteristics of cells or cell like particles while flowing in a suspension through the instrument (known as flow cytometer) with rapid pace.

Flow cytometry uses the principle of light scattering and can help us to measure the physical properties of the cells such as size and granularity. It can also help in measuring biological and chemical properties of the cells by using the fluorescent dyes or fluorochrome labelled monoclonal antibodies targeting either extracellular antigens located on the cell surface or intracellular antigens present inside the cell.

The objectives of the workshop would be:

1. Brief introduction of the principle and functions of Flow cytometry
2. Brief introduction regarding the components of Flow cytometry
3. Details about the selection of fluorochrome for the experiment and compensation in Flow cytometry
4. Sample processing and immunophenotyping in detail with a video
5. Acquisition of sample in Flow cytometry and use of software for analysis with a video
6. Clinical applications of Flow cytometry in the diagnostic

Anti-nuclear antibody assay (ANA) is the screening test of choice for diagnosis of many systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. ANA by Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) detects the presence of auto antibodies. The IIF technique on monolayers of cultured epithelial cells is the current recommended method (gold standard) because it has higher sensitivity.

The objectives of the workshop would be:

1. To understand the concepts and procedures of IIF tests
2. To be able to interpret and clinically correlate in a clinical setup
3. To be able to report IIF tests
4. To comprehend the future trends in autoimmune diagnosis

The objectives of the workshop on Molecular diagnostics would be:

A. Digital PCR:

1. Brief Introduction of PCR and various types, benefit of digital over traditional PCR, limitations of digital PCR
2. DNA extraction from whole blood
3. Detail processing of sample and analysis in digital PCR equipment’s
4. Role of digital PCR in clinical laboratories especially for cancer

B. Gene Sequencing:

1. Brief Introduction of PCR and various types, benefit of digital over traditional PCR, limitations of digital PCR
2. DNA extraction from whole blood
3. Detail processing of sample and analysis in digital PCR equipment’s
4. Role of digital PCR in clinical laboratories especially for cancer

The objectives of the workshop would be:

1. Brief introduction regarding various techniques in chromatography
2. Brief introduction regarding various HPLC systems, columns, how to select columns, how to formulate protocol, what are the various requirements
3. Sample procedure in detail along with a video
4. Processing of sample in HPLC and use of software for analysis (standard curve and quantification)
5. Role of HPLC in clinical laboratories