Adaptation of stem cells to 96-well plate assays: use of human embryonic and mouse neural stem cells in the MTT assay.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are difficult to adapt to 96-well plate assays, such as the MTT assay, because they survive best when plated as colonies, which are not easily counted and plated accurately. Two methods were developed to address this problem. In the first, ROCK inhibitor (ROCKi) was used, which allows accurate counting and plating of single hESC.

Comparison of the toxicity of smoke from conventional and harm reduction cigarettes using human embryonic stem cells.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that smoke from harm reduction cigarettes impedes attachment and proliferation of H9 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Smoke from three harm reduction brands was compared with smoke from a conventional brand. Doses of smoke were measured in puff equivalents (PE) (1 PE = the amount of smoke in one puff that dissolves in 1 ml of medium).