Primary cell cultures are very difficult to establish in the lab. You have to understand the basic biology of the cells you are trying to isolate and culture. For example, you cannot grow hepatic cells (liver's cells) in, say, Basal Epithelial Cell Basal Medium. Why? Because the media is specifically made to help laiver cells grow. Now that we are clear on this aspect, we will now focus on the steps to establish primary cell culture.

There are four stages to establishing a primary cell culture for your research. These steps include:

1. Acquisition of the sample: The first step is to harvest a portion of the target organ-specific tissue. Please note that before we do this process, we have to explain to the donor what the intended use of the harvested tissue is. After explaining and receiving consent for harvest, we harvest the cells for experimentation. Most of the time, the tissue is collected from individuals who donate their bodies for medical experiments.

2. Isolation of the tissue: The harvested cells are now placed in a mixture that uses enzymatic and mechanical methods to isolate the cells from the tissue. The enzymes then break down all the connective tissue and extracellular matrix (ECM), making it easy to harvest the cells.

3. Dissection and/or disaggregation: Once the cells are dislodged from the connective tissue and ECM they are centrifuged at high speeds to collect the cells, washed, and then placed in a culture vessel with antibiotics. Once that is completed, the cells are allowed to grow in an artificial environment with 5% carbon dioxide and 37 °C. Please note, if the cell culture environment is sterile, then you do not need to add antibiotics. Additionally, to do crucial biologically relevant experiments, antibiotics must be avoided.

4. Culture after seeding into the culture vessel: Once we see the cells are starting to double, we then separate the cells into culture vessels to expand their number. Please note that the primary cell cultures do not have a passage number, but rather a doubling time. Also, there is a high probability that accompanying cells (like fibroblast) might grow with the desired cells required for research. Thus, you will have to keep a very close eye on the growth of the cells.

Isolating, culturing, and expanding these cells can take months, and to expedite the research, primary cell isolation and culture services are crucial players. They can provide the primary cells for your research at a faster pace. You do not have to search for the donor or worry about contamination ruining your primary cell culture.