Cellular & Preclinical Models Unit

Unit info

The IFOM Primary cells & Preclinical Models Unit was established in 2002 to support research scientists providing quality-controlled cells, tested cell culture media and reagents, standardized conditions and reliable protocols.

Standard Services

Management of the institutional cell bank, whose cell collection is available to all IFOM scientists. The cell bank has more than 300 cell lines, mostly cancerous, from both human and animal origin, purchased from the major international cell banks (ATCC, DSMZ, NCI, ECACC). Each cell line is characterized and is subjected to quality controls such as Mycoplasma detection (enzymatic test and PCR) and authentication by STR profile analysis, growth curve and killing curve. For frequently used cell lines also transfection and electroporation protocols are being optimized.
Quality control is performed also on primary material and on all the cell lines belonging to the private collections of each scientific group.
Selection, quality tests, preparation and distribution of media and reagents.
Preparation and distribution of chemically competent cells and of plasmids for lentiviral production.
Organization and supervision of the cell culture rooms with controlled access.
Hands-on trainings for new students and young researchers. The trainings are focused on best cell culture practices and on safety rules related to Biosafety level 1 and Biosafety level 2 (BLS1 and BSL2) activity.

Special Services

Reprogramming of human somatic cells (fibroblasts, PBMCs) into pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) by infection with Sendai Virus.
Characterization and quality controls of hiPSCs (Immunofluorescence analysis for pluripotency markers, 3 germ layer differentiation test, cytogenetic analyses, etc.).
Differentiation of hiPSCs into cortical neurons, motor neurons, Purkinje neuorns and cardiomyocytes.
Patient derived organoids (PDO) generation from patients biospecimens.
Recombinant and conditioned media production.
Support on Incucyte usage and analysis.

Spaces

6 BSL1 rooms with 60 hood places
4 BSL2 rooms with 20 hood places.

Ilaria Rancati

Ilaria Rancati graduated in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques at the University of Pavia in 2002 with a thesis in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. In 2003 she joined the Cellular & Preclinical Models Unit of IFOM where she became expert in the culture of cancer cell lines.
In 2017 she became Head of the Unit implementing, in 2018, the manipulation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and their neuronal and cardiac differentiation.
Later she initiates the generation of organoids and 3D cultures from primary patient cells. In her career path, she gained expertise in issues of biorepository and sample management from both technical and regulatory perspectives.
She leads the Unit collaborating with IFOM researchers during various experimental phases of their research projects.