A cell culture template that adapts to your lab's cell lines.
This cell culture template ships with a 10-step subculture protocol, validated media references, pre-wired viability and passage tracking, and structured inputs for cell line, passage number, seeding density, viability percentage, and mycoplasma status. Your lab edits the configuration to match the line and media you actually maintain, instead of starting fresh notes for every passage.
See exactly how the template loads in ELabELN.
This is the live ELabELN experiment view, the same screen your lab works in every day. Switch between a blank start and a fully populated example, then expand any section to see what the template pre-fills.
What this cell culture template ships with.
This cell culture template ships configured for routine subculture of adherent HEK293 cells in a T75 flask, with a 10-step protocol covering pre-passage confluency check through next-day re-feed. The protocol assumes DMEM + 10% FBS + 1% Pen/Strep media, 0.05% Trypsin-EDTA dissociation, a 1:6 split ratio, and a hemocytometer viability count using Trypan Blue.
Structured fields capture culture, passage, and QC metadata in typed inputs (cell line, passage number, confluency at passage, media composition, trypsin volume, hemocytometer count, viability percentage, mycoplasma test date), so passage history is queryable across experiments instead of buried in free text. Media lots, FBS lots, and Trypsin aliquots link to the ELabELN inventory so lot traceability for the cells used in downstream work flows into every passage record without manual entry.
The template is intended as a tested baseline for academic and life sciences research labs maintaining standard adherent or suspension cell lines for experimental work. Configure the line, swap the media composition, change the dissociation reagent, adjust the split ratio, or move from adherent to suspension by editing the seeding section. ELabELN's tamper-evident audit trail captures every passage, every viability count, and every mycoplasma test, so the resulting record supports passage-history documentation, cross-lab line sharing, and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 review when the lab's quality system requires it. The cumulative passage history is critical for downstream experiments where line drift or contamination would invalidate results.
Every ELN section, pre-populated for cell culture.
The template populates the existing ELabELN sections your lab already works with: Main Text, Extra Fields, Steps, Compounds, Links, and more. Your team edits instead of building from scratch.
Main Text
Passage summary, line history notes, and confluency observations, written in the TinyMCE editor.
- Objective + protocol scaffold
- Line origin + passage history
- Linked to seed-thaw entry
Extra Fields
Ten structured, typed fields grouped by Culture, Passage, and QC.
- Line, passage #, confluency
- Media composition, trypsin vol
- Queryable passage history
Steps
Ten-step workflow checklist covering pre-passage check through next-day re-feed.
- Check, aspirate, trypsinize
- Quench, spin, resuspend, count
- Seed + return to incubator
Compounds
DMEM, FBS, Pen/Strep, Trypsin-EDTA, PBS, and Trypan Blue pre-linked from the compound database with lot traceability.
- Media lot carried automatically
- FBS lot inline with passage
- Low-stock warnings before run
Links & Resources
Pre-wired to your lab's culture SOPs, mycoplasma test schedule, and the seed-thaw record for this line.
- Cell Culture SOP v3.2
- Mycoplasma test schedule
- Seed-thaw record linked
Storage & Files
Cryovial storage in liquid N₂, working-stock locations, and microscope image + hemocytometer count attachments.
- LN₂ vapor-phase storage
- Attachment slots labelled
- JPG + CSV ready on save
Use this template for your next passage.
Edit the configuration to match your line and media, run the passage from a tested baseline, and capture every viability count and mycoplasma test in a structured record. Browse other templates built for the workflows real labs actually use.
Common questions
Can I configure the template for my cell line and media?
Yes. Every section is editable. Swap in different adherent or suspension lines (HEK293, HeLa, CHO, Jurkat, K562, primary cultures), change the media composition (DMEM, RPMI, F-12, serum-free formulations), adjust the dissociation reagent (Trypsin-EDTA, TrypLE, Accutase), and change the split ratio. Save your edits as a private template scoped to your lab, or publish back to the ELabELN template library.
Does the template track passage number across experiments?
Yes. The passage number is a typed field carried in every cell culture experiment for a given line. The line itself can be linked across the lab's ELabELN instance, so passage history is queryable per cell line. The PI can pull every passage for a specific line and see when it was last tested for mycoplasma, the average viability trend, and when working stocks were created from frozen aliquots.
How does the template handle mycoplasma testing and contamination tracking?
The QC field group includes a typed mycoplasma test date. When the test result is recorded as a separate experiment, that experiment links back to this passage record. The template flag for "mycoplasma negative within 30 days" is shown on the passage record so downstream experiments referencing the line see the contamination status at a glance.
Is it included in every ELabELN plan?
Yes. Every published template in the ELabELN library is available to all ELabELN subscribers in both Standard and Suite editions, with unlimited users in either edition.
Can my whole lab use this template?
Yes. Every ELabELN edition includes unlimited users, so the PI, postdocs, grad students, rotating researchers, and visiting collaborators can all use the template without per-seat charges. Granular permissions let the PI control who can edit culture records versus only review them.
How quickly can my lab start culturing in ELabELN?
ELabELN Standard cloud deployment is typically live in 1-2 days. Once the instance is provisioned, this template loads from the library in a single click, with the line, media, and passage parameters editable to match the cell stocks your lab actually maintains.