Hi Everyone

I just wanted to ask people their opinion on my situation.

As part of my PhD I am working with cell lines, managed to get one from another department in the University, but had to buy 2 others in. A postdoc ordered the cells (because he had access to the grant codes and I don't yet), then when they arrived ( I was not in the lab because they arrived at 6.30pm) they were put in the -80 freezer and the post doc (without informing me before or afterwards) thawed the cells and has started culturing them. Surely as its my project, with my grant money, I should be allowed to culture my own cells? The post doc has been training me up and I don't want to step on anyones toes, but how am I supposed to write up these experiements as my own if they wont allow me to do my own cell culture. I have come to the conclusion that once he's bulked up the stock that I can start from an early passage number. But am I right to be put out?

My supervisor is out of the country also :(

======= Date Modified 21 Nov 2012 14:56:11 =======
Getting cell cultures established in a lab from stocks can be tricky. I'd be more than happy to let someone else do it for me and then I worked with them once there were plenty of stocks! They can cost hundreds of pounds - imagine if something went wrong if you were doing it yourself? He probably thought he was doing you a favour. If the supplier sent what turned out to be a dodgy batch, you'd be more likely to get a refund/replacement if it was an experienced post doc (named on the invoice) who'd tried setting up the culture rather than a PhD student.

Yes, you need to be working with these cells for your project, but make the most of the expertise of the people around you. It's hardly an impingement of your independence or a threat to your project. Just tell the post doc that you'd like experience of establishing new culture lines and next time something comes in that hasn't cost a lot/isn't irreplaceable then hopefully you'll get a go.

You may have your own grant money but it's probably a fraction of what you/your project costs the lab, so it's worth them protecting resources.

Hi Teaspoon,

I agree with Hazyjane's comment about cells being an expensive resource and your post doc probably does just want to bulk up the stocks and then hopefully he will let you get cracking with culturing the cells yourself. However, I will also say that it's worth keeping an eye out and if he still doesn't let you take over the cell culture it might be time to ask him about it. It depends on the atmosphere of the lab/personality of the postdoc I guess, but the reason I say this is because for the first few months of my PhD I wasn't 'allowed' to culture my own cells despite having had a lot of cell culture experience all through my masters. This was down to a lab technician that felt that she wanted control of the cells and wanted to know exactly what I was doing with them, and for this reason she was very reluctant to let me take over the cell culture. Needless to say I made very little progress during this time and feel as though I probably lost a good 2-3 months during that time. On the other hand, during my masters I was expected to culture cells from day 1 and learned how thaw/freeze down cell stocks almost straight away. It's definitely worth keeping an eye and talking to this post doc if things don't change once there's some cell stocks of your cell lines.

Good luck! :)

Thanks Anxious_PhDgirl, 

Things have got a lot better now, the Post Doc has given me a plate (which was confluent so I couldn't continue the culture myself, but got started on the characterisation). I think
now I'm doing Westerns (which I've done before) I'm feeling more in control and its showing, with how the research staff are communicating with me ( I think :) ). The real test is how soon I will be given my own cells to culture, but atm I'm happy with the progress 'we' are making.

N.B. I have had quite a lot of cell culture experience during my Masters, but not with adherent cells.