Bacterial contamination is one of the most underestimated threats in cell culture laboratories. Even in well-controlled environments, studies suggest that 5–10% of cell cultures may be affected by bacterial contamination, often without visible signs. Such contamination can alter cell metabolism, growth, and differentiation - compromising experiments and cell lines in R&D, and becoming a critical safety risk in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) manufacturing, as contaminated products can endanger patients.
For laboratories working with sensitive cell cultures, biologics, or ATMPs, fast and reliable detection of bacteria is essential. Traditional sterility tests rely on culture-based methods that can take several days. But in modern research and production workflows—especially when working with short shelf-life products—waiting that long is simply not an option.
Rapid bacterial detection with real-time PCR
Venor® Bacteria qPCR from Minerva Biolabs offers a rapid and reliable solution for detecting bacterial contamination in cell cultures, cell culture derived biologicals and ATMPs. This real-time PCR assay targets the highly conserved 16S rRNA coding region of the bacterial genome, enabling highly sensitive detection across a broad spectrum of bacteria.
Unlike culture methods, this assay can also identify slow-growing bacteria and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) organisms, which might remain undetected when using growth-based methods.
Key advantages
- Results in less than 3 hours
- Detection of 95% of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
- Detection of VBNCs and slow-growing species
- Suitable for both R&D screening and QC release testing
- Ideal for cell cultures, biologics, and ATMPs
Discover Venor® Bacteria qPCR — a rapid, sensitive bacteria detection assay helping laboratories protect valuable cell lines, prevent costly delays, and ensure product safety.
