CFU Assay Course-US-Summer

Hands-on laboratory training in colony-forming unit (CFU) methodology, hosted in the United States during the summer session by STEMCELL Technologies. This intensive program teaches researchers, lab technologists, and graduate students how to perform standardized hematopoietic progenitor cell enumeration using methylcellulose-based culture systems such as MethoCult.

Participants receive instructor-led instruction in sample preparation, cell plating at appropriate densities, incubation at 37°C with 5% CO₂, and colony identification across multiple lineages including erythroid burst-forming units, granulocyte-macrophage progenitors, and multi-lineage mixed colonies. The course combines short lectures with bench work, ensuring attendees leave with practical proficiency in performing CFU assays for cell culture research, drug screening workflows, and toxicity testing applications.

By the end of the session, students can independently set up replicate cultures, score colonies using standardized morphological criteria, calculate colony-forming efficiency, and troubleshoot common technical issues such as suboptimal plating densities or gel dehydration. Registration includes course manuals, all reagents and consumables needed for the wet-lab component, a certificate of completion, and lunch on each training day. Seating is limited to maintain an instructor-to-participant ratio suitable for individual bench supervision across the cohort.