The Tissue Culture Hub at Curtin MRI is a specialised facility equipped for the growth, maintenance and manipulation of cells in vitro within a controlled,

The Tissue Culture Hub at Curtin MRI provides specialised spaces, equipment and technical support for the growth, maintenance and manipulation of cells under controlled sterile conditions.

The hub is organised into dedicated rooms that support different levels of tissue culture activity and biosafety, including quarantine, intermediate, clean and ultra-clean spaces.

These spaces support safe handling, contamination control and high-quality research outcomes for cell-based research.

Tissue culture rooms

The Tissue Culture Hub at Curtin MRI comprises a series of specialised laboratories designed to support cell culture activities under controlled, sterile conditions. Each room is equipped with Class II biological safety cabinets, CO₂ incubators calibrated for temperature and gas control, inverted phase contrast microscopes, water baths, serological pipette fillers and manual pipettes to support consistent and high-quality experimental workflows.

TC1 quarantine room

• This room is designated for high-risk or newly introduced cell lines, including those undergoing contamination treatment or those with confirmed contamination. It features a Nikon Eclipse Ts2 inverted microscope with epifluorescence capabilities for enhanced cellular imaging and monitoring.

TC2 intermediate room

• Used for primary cultures and cell lines with unknown or newly established mycoplasma status. The room includes the CM30 automated incubation monitoring system, which enables real-time, label-free assessment of cell health and confluency through periodic imaging.

TC3 ultra-clean room

• The ultra-clean room provides a highly controlled environment for well-characterised, contamination-free cell lines that require the highest level of sterility. It is intended for sensitive and advanced applications where minimising environmental variability and contamination risk is critical. Access and use are typically restricted to cell lines that have undergone rigorous quality assurance, supporting reproducibility and integrity in downstream experiments.

TC4 clean room

• This room supports routine culture of established, quality-assured cell lines. It is equipped with a NuAire tri-gas incubator, allowing precise regulation of CO₂ and O₂ levels to maintain hypoxic or hyperoxic conditions. An advanced sensor system continuously monitors oxygen levels and adjusts gas composition accordingly. The room also includes a CM30 automated incubation monitoring system for ongoing, quantitative assessment of cell growth and viability.

Metabolic flux analysis

Metabolic flux analysis measures key indicators of cellular energy metabolism, including oxygen consumption rate (OCR), extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and ATP production rates.

The Seahorse XF analyser measures these parameters in live cells in real time, supporting assessment of mitochondrial function, glycolysis, toxicity and overall cellular health.

Seahorse XF96 analyser

• Platform for live-cell, real-time analysis of cellular energy metabolism in a 96-well format
• Multiple parameters reported from each assay well, including OCR, ECAR, and ATP production rates
• Four-port injection system with automated mixing feature for assessing immediate cellular responses to substrates, inhibitors, and other compounds in real time