Shake flasks are usually the tool in these initial stages. If everything is correct, then you can place the flasks in a CO2 incubator. In it, the concentration of oxygen is lower compared to a non-controlled environment, so the cells can start culturing.

Some biotechnology producers may prefer to use an integrated incubator shaker instead of a flask and a separate incubator, to simplify the process in one place. In this case, you need to define which incubator shaker design fits best to your needs. In other cases, a centrifuge is used to allow the cells to spin down.

Apart from these options, it’s also possible to use a bioreactor as your cell culture equipment. It will help further control, in real-time, the biology of the cells, as well as to fulfill criteria related to quality and efficacy. The most common type that producers use is the stirred-tank bioreactor (STR), which can be easily adjusted for large scale production.

When creating these lines, one essential part of the process is to set the culture media formulation that will help cell types to grow. Basic culture medium composition includes glucose, amino acids (the most prominent one being L-glutamine), vitamins, proteins, antibiotics, and inorganic salts. Other components, however, vary according to the outcome expected from those cell lines. The insect cells culture, for instance, benefit from TC-100, while many mammalian cells are supported by RPMI 1640.