Increasing Reproducibility of Cell Counting with the
Use of Accumax
Regardless of what the manufacturers of cell counters tell you, when counting cells with either a manual or automated method, the accuracy and the reproducibily of the counts will be increased if the cells are not clumped together. Accumax solution can be used to dissociate clumpy cells that are being counted. Accumax is gentle enough that an aliquot of it can be added to an aliquot of cells and allowed to set for a period of time without damaging the cells.
- Harvest a representative sample of clumped cells to be counted, 0.5 or 1.0 ml, and place in a 12x75 mm tube.
- Add an equal volume of ACCUMAX to the sample of cells, and incubate for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Count the cells by your normal procedure. Note that the cells have been diluted an extra 2 fold.
