Frequently asked questions

On 23 November 2023, CLS Cell Lines Service rebranded to Cytion, and the transition has since been completed across both legal entities. We now operate as Cytion GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany and Cytion LLC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The rebrand reflects our expansion beyond classical cell banking into a broader portfolio of cell-based research products and services.

Yes. Catalogue numbers from the CLS era refer to the same authenticated cell lines and remain recognised in the order system. Existing Certificates of Analysis and Safety Data Sheets stay valid as historical lot documents. New CoAs, SDS and invoices are issued under the Cytion name, and both CLS and Cytion citations are accepted in publications.

Cytion GmbH (Heidelberg, Germany) handles orders and customer support across Europe and most international markets. Cytion LLC (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), founded in 2024, is a separate US entity that handles orders, MTAs and customer support across North America. Both entities share the same authenticated cell line portfolio and operate under the same ISO 9001:2015 quality system.

The catalogue comprises more than 1000 authenticated cell lines covering human and animal tumour lines, immortalised normal lines, reporter and stably transfected derivatives, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Primary cells, culture media, freeze medium (CM-1), cell-detachment reagents and PBS round out the portfolio.

Standard fill volumes are typically 3 × 10⁶ cells per vial for adherent lines and 5 × 10⁶ cells per vial for suspension lines, cryopreserved in a defined freezing medium. The exact viable cell count for the lot you receive is documented on the batch-specific Certificate of Analysis.

Cytion can source cell lines through scientific partnerships, deposit programmes and tech-transfer arrangements. Contact our scientific team with the line name and intended application — we will indicate availability, lead time and licensing terms.

Yes. Our technology-transfer programme accepts cell line deposits from academic and industry researchers and covers authentication, master and working bank production, ongoing quality control and global distribution. Contact us for the deposit agreement and the submission workflow.

Orders can be placed directly through the online shop on cytion.com or via email or phone to your regional support team. A purchase-order number can be added at checkout, and institutional invoicing is supported. For bulk, recurring or custom orders, request a formal quotation from sales.

All prices on cytion.com are listed net of VAT. Applicable VAT, shipping and any customs charges are added at checkout based on the delivery country and your VAT status. EU customers with a valid VAT ID receive a tax-exempt invoice under the reverse-charge mechanism.

Standard methods include credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and SEPA bank transfer for European customers. Institutional accounts can be set up for invoiced payment against a purchase order. North American customers are served by Cytion USA with locally accepted payment options.

Yes. For multiple vials, custom packaging, multi-line orders or framework agreements with research institutions, request a formal quotation. Quotations specify use rights per cell line (research-only vs. commercial) directly at the line item, and include shipping and lead-time terms.

The European online shop ships globally with one exception: America is handled by Cytion USA in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Customers in the US, Canada and parts of Latin America should order through the regional entity for shorter shipping times, regional MTAs and local invoicing.

Cryopreserved cells are shipped frozen on dry ice in validated insulated packaging, maintaining a cargo temperature of approximately −78 °C in transit. Each shipment includes the lot-specific Certificate of Analysis and handling instructions, and is tracked end-to-end through the courier.

Indicative transit times from Heidelberg:

• Germany: 1–2 working days
• EU-wide: 2–4 working days
• International: typically 3–7 working days depending on customs clearance

Orders are dispatched Monday through Wednesday to avoid weekend transit and ensure dry-ice viability on arrival.

Inspect the package on receipt and confirm the cryovials are still deeply frozen, with no thawing or cloudiness. Transfer immediately to long-term storage in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen (−150 to −196 °C). Document the date and any observations from the unboxing for traceability.

Contact scientific support without delay and include the order number, photographs of the packaging and the courier tracking record. Cells that arrive partially or fully thawed are covered under our 60-day viability guarantee — we will arrange a replacement once the issue is documented.

Store in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen at −150 °C or below. A mechanical −80 °C freezer is acceptable only as a short interim step (days, not weeks) — viability degrades steadily above −135 °C due to recrystallisation. Maintain an inventory record with lot, location and freeze date.

Standard rapid thaw:

• Thaw the cryovial in a 37 °C water bath for 40–60 seconds, removing it as soon as a small ice crystal remains
• Transfer aseptically into 9–10 mL of pre-warmed complete growth medium
• Centrifuge at 200 × g for 5 minutes
• Resuspend the pellet in fresh medium and seed at the recommended density

Line-specific recovery conditions (seeding density, plate format, first medium change) are listed on the product page.

For routine cryopreservation, use complete growth medium supplemented with 10% DMSO, or Cytion's ready-to-use CM-1 freeze medium. Controlled-rate cooling at approximately −1 °C per minute (Mr. Frosty or a programmable freezer) is recommended, followed by transfer to liquid nitrogen for long-term storage.

Each product page lists culture-medium composition, recommended seeding density, subculturing ratio, passage frequency and post-thaw recovery conditions. Lot-specific data — viable cell count, STR profile, mycoplasma status — appear on the batch Certificate of Analysis that ships with your order and is available for download from the product page.

Yes. Cell lines are manufactured in Germany under our ISO 9001:2015 certified Quality Management System. The current certificate scope and expiry are documented in the Quality & Warranty section of the website; a copy is available on request.

Identity is confirmed by short tandem repeat (STR) profiling at 16 markers (AMEL, CSF1PO, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, FGA, Penta_D, Penta_E, TH01, TPOX, vWA), matched against international reference databases (Cellosaurus, ATCC, DSMZ) with an identity-match percentage reported on each lot.

Since 2023, STR profiling is performed by IDEXX BioAnalytics as an independent third-party laboratory. STR is repeated for every new master and working bank.

STR authentication is applicable to human, mouse, rat, hamster and canine cell lines.

Every cell bank is screened by a PCR-based detection assay with specific primers targeting Mycoplasma DNA. A separate post-production mycoplasma test is run on the final cryopreserved lot. Results are recorded as pass/fail on the lot-specific Certificate of Analysis.

Sterility is established by direct inoculation on 8 culture media with a 10-day incubation, followed by microbial identification by MALDI-TOF MS where growth is observed. Anaerobic culture is performed where applicable. The lot is released only when no aerobic microbial growth is detected; a separate post-production sterility test confirms absence of bacterial and fungal growth on the cryopreserved vial.

Species-specific viral screening is performed on every lot where applicable. For human cell lines the panel covers:

• Hepatitis A, B and C virus (HAV, HBV, HCV)
• Human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1, HIV-2)
• Human T-lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1, HTLV-2)

Species-specific pathogen testing is available for human, mouse, rat, hamster, bovine and porcine cell lines. The exact panel applied to your lot is listed on its Certificate of Analysis.

Every lot is screened for interspecies contamination against mouse, rat, human, Chinese hamster and African green monkey backgrounds. Positive/negative status for each species is reported on the Certificate of Analysis. This assay is performed by IDEXX BioAnalytics alongside the STR and viral-pathogen tests.

Post-freeze viability is measured on a Vi-CELL BLU (Beckman Coulter), analysing 100 images per sample on 200 µL of cell suspension. Release criterion is ≥70% post-thaw viability; the actual value for your lot is printed on the Certificate of Analysis. Recovery is verified by culturing a reference vial and confirming >80% confluence within the expected recovery period, alongside a check on the expected growth properties (adherent, suspension or semi-adherent).

Cytion guarantees that authenticated cryopreserved cell lines are viable when handled per the recommended protocol within 60 days of the shipment date. If you experience non-recovery after a documented standard thaw within this window, contact scientific support for a replacement vial.

The lot-specific Certificate of Analysis (CoA) ships with every order and can be downloaded from the product page using the lot number printed on the cryovial label. Each CoA documents passage number, viable cell count, post-thaw viability, sterility, mycoplasma status, the full STR profile with identity match, interspecies contamination and the species-specific pathogen panel. If you cannot locate the CoA for an older lot, contact scientific support with the catalogue number and lot ID and we will resend it.

Each product page lists the recommended biosafety level (typically BSL-1 or BSL-2) and any species- or pathogen-specific considerations. Several lines — for example HEK293 derivatives carrying viral elements — are classified as genetically modified organisms; in Germany these are typically GMO-S1. GMO classification can vary by country, so check your local regulator before importing.

The MTA is a research-use agreement covering the transfer, use and onward transfer of a specific cell line for internal research at a single site. Lines requiring an MTA are flagged on the product page. The agreement must be signed before the cells are released for shipment.

Only those that display the MTA notice on the product page. The notice indicates the depositor's terms and any field-of-use restrictions specific to that line. Lines without an MTA flag ship under Cytion's standard research-use terms.

No. Customers in the US and Canada are served by Cytion USA, which uses regional MTAs and licensing terms. For China and Taiwan, separate region-specific agreements apply. Contact your regional team and we will issue the correct agreement for your jurisdiction.

Cell lines are supplied for research use only by default. Commercial applications — fee-for-service work, contract research, QC testing of products, drug discovery for external clients, diagnostic kits and regulatory submissions — require a tailored licence. Complete the Intended Use Form on the product page, or contact us directly, to initiate the agreement.

PCR-based mycoplasma testing on customer-submitted cell stocks, using the same validated assay we run on every Cytion lot. Samples are submitted as supernatant or cell pellet per the service instructions; a signed report is returned within the stated turnaround. Useful for incoming-line screening, periodic audits and pre-publication QC.

STR profiling of a customer-submitted pellet or DNA sample at a 16-marker panel, with comparison to international reference databases (Cellosaurus, ATCC, DSMZ) and a signed authentication report including identity-match percentage. Used to confirm identity, detect cross-contamination and meet journal authentication requirements. Available for human, mouse, rat, hamster and canine lines.

Production of large, single-lot batches of ready-to-use, vial-matched cells for high-throughput screening and assay development. Each vial in the lot is qualified to the same viability and performance criteria, reducing inter-experiment variability and accelerating campaign timelines.

Yes. Cell-culture expansion (scale-up to defined cell numbers, pellets or DNA/RNA quantities), master and working cell bank production and ongoing sample storage are available as fee-for-service projects. Each engagement starts with a brief scoping call to confirm specifications, deliverables and timeline.