Faculty

BITC-2431 Cell Culture Techniques

Kissaou Tchedre

Credit Spring 2026

Section(s)

BITC-2431-001 (15630)
LEC MWF 9:10am - 10:05am RRC RRC3 3121.01

LAB MWF 10:15am - 11:25am RRC RRC3 3121.06

Course Requirements

A study of cell culture techniques, the laboratory emphasizes the principles and practices of initiation, cultivation, maintenance, and the preservation of cell lines including applications such as transfection and project management. Aseptic techniques. Independent project.

Prerequisites: BIOL1414, BIOL1415, and BITC 1340. Must pass a placement exam.

Course Type: W Skills: O

Readings

Textbooks: Gibco, “Cell Culture Basics Handbook” (2017). Provided free on Blackboard.

Lab Manual: Afshar, “Basics of Cell Culture: A student laboratory manual” (2018). Provided free on Blackboard.

Blackboard: Students are required to utilize Blackboard for this course. To access Blackboard, students need an ACCeID. To activate your ACCeID: http://www.austincc.edu/acceid

To log onto Blackboard: https://acconline.austincc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

Course Subjects

Basics of Cell Culture
Laboratory Safety and Professional Conduct
Laboratory Notebooks
Cell Culture Laboratory Equipment
Laminar-Flow Hood
Inverted Microscopes
Fluorescent Microscopes
Clinical Centrifuge
Incubator
370 C Water Bath
Refrigerator and Freezers
Biohazard Waste Containers
Cell Culture Vessels
Pipettes
Contamination
Common Laboratory Procedures
Media Preparation
Routine Cell Culture Maintenance
Counting Cells Using a Hemocytometer
Laboratory Exercises
Lab Exercise 1: Pipetting Error and Aseptic Technique
Lab Exercise 2: Plating Cells from Frozen Stocks
Lab Exercise 3: Count and Plate 104 Cells in a T25
Lab Exercise 4: Freezing Cells
Lab Exercise 5: Mycoplasma Testing
Lab Exercise 6: UV Exposure
Lab Exercise 7: The Transient Transfection of Mammalian Cell Lines
Lab Exercise 8: Viability Assay
Lab Exercise 9: Stem Cell Differentiation into Cardiomyocytes
Lab Exercise 10: Stem Cell Differentiation into Neurons and Immunocytochemistry

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

COMMON COURSE OBJECTIVES

The Common Course Objectives for this course can be found here: http://sites.austincc.edu/biotech/common-course-objectives/

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Maintain a cell culture facility including safety & security protocols and waste disposal
Maintain a laboratory notebook and create documents related to industry-regulated cell culture
Prepare sterile cell culture material and media
Demonstrate aseptic technique & monitor for cell contamination
Passage cells successfully without antibiotics
Thaw & cryopreserve cells
Peer teach cell culture techniques
Research, design and implement, and evaluate assays using cells
Transfect cells
Grow and differentiate stem cells
Analyze data and effectively communicate results with colleagues
Successfully troubleshoot and make changes to protocols associated with cell culture

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The competency outcomes for this course reflect the skills necessary in the biotechnology workforce which emphasize communication skills, punctuality, and teamwork in addition to molecular biology skills. The Texas State Skills Board (TSSB) recognized Skill Standards for this course are posted here: http://www.austincc.edu/biotech/skillstandards.php.

A1 Maintain laboratory and equipment	A3 Operate equipment	A4 Maintain biological stock cultures	A5 Clean and prepare items for the lab	A6 Prepare biological and chemical materials	B1 Assist in designing experiments	B2 Perform assays and experiments
B3 Troubleshoot experiments and equipment	B4 Perform data analysis	B5 Communicate results	B6 Investigate new technologies and methodologies	C1 Participate in employer-sponsored safety training	C3 Identify unsafe conditions and take corrective action	C4 Suggest continuous improvements
C5 Coordinate with a work team	C7 Handle and dispose of hazardous materials	C8 Maintain security	D1 Maintain lab notebook	D2 Create documents	D4 Assist with inventory maintenance