Passage is usually between 25 and 30. Vircell may be able to provide earlier passages (around 25) on request.
MRC-5 cells can be subcultured up to a passage of 40. The rest of lines can be subcultured indefinitely, although the renewal after 6 months of use is advisable.
Each cell batch and subculture is subjected to controls for Mycoplasma contamination detection at each stage of the manufacturing process and on the same day of shipment, performing Hoechst staining and Mycoplasma specific PCR. Any batch or subculture in which the presence of Mycoplasma is detected is discarded.