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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Work safely according to the legal and regulatory framework
  2. Prepare and test cell and tissue culture media
  3. Prepare tissue or cell cultures
  4. Monitor tissue or cell culture
  5. Maintain records

Range Statement

This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included.

Standards, codes, procedures and/or workplace requirements

Standards, codes, procedures and/or workplace requirements include the latest version of one or more of:

Australian and international standards covering the requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, laboratory safety, quality management and environmental management

Australian standards covering the requirements for cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities

national work health and safety (WHS) standards and codes of practice, national environmental protection measures, and national measurement regulations and guidelines

specific codes, guidelines and procedures, such as National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation requirements, principles of good laboratory practice (GLP), Australia New Zealand Food Standards (ANZFS) Code, Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP), Australian Dangerous Goods Code, gene technology regulations, and Guide to physical containment levels and facility types

workplace documents, such as standard operating procedures (SOPs); quality and equipment manuals; calibration and maintenance schedules; material safety data sheets (MSDS) and safety procedures; material, client and product specifications; production and laboratory schedules; workplace recording and reporting procedures; and waste minimisation and safe disposal procedures

workplace procedures and standard methods for preparing culture media, and operation and maintenance manuals for automated media preparation equipment

Applications of plant tissue/cell culture

Applications of plant tissue/cell culture include, but are not limited to, one or more of:

mass propagation of commercial species

production of disease-free plants by meristem tip culture

conservation of rare plants

haploid plant production by anther/pollen culture

'sports' produced by somaclonal variation

development of resistant plants by directed cell selection

protoplast fusion to produce novel plant hybrids

Applications of animal tissue/cell culture

Applications of animal tissue/cell culture include, but are not limited to, one or more of:

establishment and maintenance of animal cell lines, such as liver, epidermal and fibroblastic

maintenance of continuous cell lines

preparation of cell cultures for commercial sale

growth and enumeration of viruses

extraction of DNA

extraction of antigens for use in diagnostic tests

research of cell structure and function, cancer and tumour biology

immunofluorescent techniques

testing of media efficacy

production of monoclonal antibodies

production of genetically modified cell cultures

secondary metabolite production

Sterilisation and disposal of biohazardous wastes

Sterilisation and disposal of biohazardous wastes includes, but is not limited to, one or more of:

steam and high pressure air or steam

boiling, microwaving and autoclaving

filtration

gas, chemical and radiation

Plant tissues and cells

Plant tissues and cells include, but are not limited to, one or more of:

plant tissue, such as petioles, leaves, stems and petals

meristem tissue

special tissue, such as fern stolon, seed embryos and somatic embryoids

tissue for callus development to initiate cell suspension cultures

Animal tissues and cells

Animal tissues and cells include, but are not limited to, one or more of:

primary cells from animal tissue, such as heart, liver, kidney and epidermal

secondary cells, such as epithelial, endothelial and fibroblast

continuous cell lines, such as tumour lines, hybidomers and transformed lines (Epstein-Barr virus)

Preparing a primary culture

Preparing a primary culture includes, but is not limited to, one or more of:

thawing of cryopreserved cells and monitoring of cell recovery

enzymatic disaggregation from tissue

mechanical disaggregation from tissue

primary explant technique

pre-treatment

disinfestation of explants using hypochlorite and water

Suitable culture conditions

Suitable culture conditions include, but are not limited to, one or more of:

specified temperature and light intensity

appropriate atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide

shaking of cell suspensions or roller bottles

conditions for establishment, multiplication or planting out

special conditions for protoplast culture

Subculture

Subculture includes, but is not limited to, one or more of:

treatment of callus to multiply or regenerate shoots

treatment to encourage adventitious bud

treatment to encourage rooting

subculture of embryoids

cell suspensions

preparation of protoplasts

Safety procedures

Safety procedures include, but are not limited to, one or more of:

ensuring access to service shut-off points

recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs

labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials

handling and storage of hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer instructions

identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions

cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas regularly

using PPE, such as gloves, safety glasses, coveralls and gowns

using containment facilities (PCII, PCIII and PCIV physical containment laboratories), containment equipment (biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets) and containment procedures

following established manual handling procedures

reporting abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulates, to appropriate personnel

WHS and environmental management requirements

WHS and environmental management requirements include:

· complying with WHS and environmental management requirements at all times, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation. These requirements must not be compromised at any time

· applying standard precautions relating to the potentially hazardous nature of samples

· accessing and applying current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health, where relevant

Performance Evidence

Evidence of competence in this unit must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include demonstration of:

safely preparing at least three (3) different primary tissue cultures that are free of contamination using tissue culture and basic subculture procedures

manipulating equipment and materials and samples to prevent contamination at all preparation stages

preparing, diluting and sterilising reagents and culture media that are fit for purpose

performing routine maintenance and checks on raw materials and consumables, including use-by-date, possible contamination and storage conditions

growing cell lines and tissue to specifications without contaminating the original sample and the environment

monitoring cell growth, checking growth rates and recognising problems, such as contamination of media by bacteria (e.g. Mycoplasma), fungi and other plant or animal tissue

identifying expected cell types and recognising normal and abnormal cells using an inverted microscope

accurately counting total and viable cells

maintaining chain of custody and traceability to the worker, of all cell lines, tissues, logs of work completed and procedures/methods used

working safely and satisfying all legal and regulatory requirements, including the use and care of biohazard cabinets.

Knowledge Evidence

Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge of:

basic classes and classification of culturable material, such as organisms, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, tissues, cells and prions

structure and function of cells and organelles

cell structure, physiology and processes, including simple and facilitated diffusion, plasmolysis, osmosis, tonicity, active transport, energy production, mitosis, motility, phagocytosis and pinocystosis

concepts and principles of cell growth, including the need for nutrients, the role of growth regulators and the removal of wastes

types and sources of contamination

importance of strict aseptic techniques and cleaning procedures

quality control checks and quality assurance procedures

workplace and/or legal traceability requirements

hazards and risks in biological laboratories and relevant work health and safety (WHS) and environment requirements.