Useful Tips, Widely Used Techniques, and Quantifying Cell Metabolic Behavior

The insect cell culture/baculovirus system has three primary applications: (1) recombinant protein synthesis, (2) biopesticide synthesis, and (3) as a model system (e.g., for studying apoptosis). The fundamental techniques involved in these applications are described throughout this book. In this chapter the most widely used techniques are summarized and the reader is directed to detailed information found elsewhere in this book. Furthermore, many useful tips and my personal preferences that are rarely published are discussed in this chapter along with quantitative methods to characterize cell growth, baculovirus infection, and metabolism.