Cell culture laboratory
The main characteristic of the cell culture laboratory, apart from those of a microbiological laboratory, is the maintenance of a high level of asepsis. The growth rate of cells in culture is much lower than that of the usual contaminants (bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts and mycoplasmas), so entry of the latter into the laboratory must be kept to a minimum.
The ideal situation is to have a room that is isolated from the other activities, far from passage ways and dedicated exclusively to cell cultivation. The arrival of laminar flow cabinets reduced the need to isolate the working area but even so it is advisable to maintain a asepsis gradient, from the outer environment to the inside of the flow cabinets, where the cultures are manipulated, and of the incubators. It is also necessary to facilitate access to the supply of CO2 and ice, to the cold chamber, the autoclave, the Dewar vessels for liquid nitrogen, the centrifuge room, etc.