News & Events

Billerica, MA -- Tuesday, June 30, 2009 -- BD Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), announced today the launch of its new line of BD PureCoat™ cell culture surfaces designed to help life science researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as the academic research community, improve cell performance and assay reproducibility.

“Today’s life science researchers are increasingly using primary cells, transfected cells and stem cells in research and drug discovery assays.  These fastidious cells often require optimized cell culture surfaces to achieve reproducible and consistent assay results,” said Ellen Cunniff, Vice President and General Manager, BD Biosciences – Discovery Labware. “BD Biosciences is committed to providing researchers with advanced surfaces that enable them to utilize these cells in a highly defined and controlled cell culture environment.”

In basic cell culture research, scientists are looking for methods to improve cell growth and reduce or remove the serum in culture media to save costs and reduce variability.  BD PureCoat surfaces improve cell attachment, increase proliferation and enhance recovery from freeze-thaw for a variety of primary, transfected and transformed cells in serum-reduced or serum-free culture conditions.  This allows researchers to produce more cells in better-defined conditions.

In cell-based drug discovery screening, scientists often culture transfected and cryopreserved division-arrested cells for use in cell-based screening assays.  Strong attachment of these cells is critical to achieving a robust assay, and cell monolayer consistency is directly related to reproducible assay results.  BD PureCoat surfaces maintain the integrity of the cell monolayer, offering superior consistency in cell-based assays versus standard tissue-culture surfaces.

The new BD PureCoat amine and carboxyl surfaces utilize a proprietary thin-film coating technology to produce a uniform, functionalized surface for cell culture.

About BD
BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 28,000 people in approximately 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.