A Clear Upgrade for Healthier Neuronal Cultures
At Transnetyx, product optimization begins and ends with researcher outcomes. When industry performance concerns arise, we conduct rigorous investigations to develop a comprehensive solution.
Over the past several years, researchers using the industry-standard media formulation, including NbActiv1, have observed a gradual decline in culture performance during extended growth periods. Reported challenges include increased clumping, blebbing, vacuole formation, and a noticeable reduction in neuronal network integrity beginning around DIC14–21. These observations were reflected in SfN 2023 user feedback and reinforced during discussions at SfN 2024.
What We Observed
In controlled evaluations using neuronal cells from a Sprague Dawley rat, cultures grown in the industry-standard media formulation exhibited:
Excessive vacuole formation
Prevalent blebbing
Failure to establish strong neuronal networks
Reduced culture viability between DIC14–21
Despite multiple quality checks of the components, these trends persisted, prompting a deeper examination of formulation optimization.
Introducing the Optimized NbActiv1 Formulation
Based on the previous findings, we re-engineered key components of the industry-standard formulation and NbActiv1 while maintaining the same neuronal source.
The result is a formulation designed to better support neuronal health during long-term culture.
DIC21 cultures grown in optimized NbActiv1 demonstrated:
Significantly lower vacuole counts
No observable blebbing
Strong dendritic and axonal connections
Robust, stable neuronal networks
Reduced clumping and extended culture longevity
Why This Matters
Healthier neuronal networks and reduced stress indicators translate directly into more reliable data and greater confidence in downstream research. The optimized NbActiv1 formulation not only improves biological performance but also supports reproducibility, a quality our customers consistently value.
Availability Moving Forward
The optimized NbActiv1 formulation will replace our legacy NbActiv1 as our standard offering.
Our commitment is to deliver the best solutions that advance research.
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