Find the BRAND plate built for your cells
Technical Note - BRAND Plates
The success of your cell culture starts with choosing the correct plate. Growing cells on the wrong plate can lead to poor cell adhesion, reduced viability, and inconsistent results (Figure 1). Different cell types have unique requirements, some need enhanced surfaces for secure attachment, while others thrive in suspension. Choosing a plate that matches your cell type and media conditions (such as serum-free or reduced-serum environments) supports optimal cell performance, preventing unnecessary costs due to failed cultures.
Table 1. Selecting the right BRAND plate for your cell type*
| Cell Type | cellGrade™ | cellGrade™ Plus | cellGrade™ premium | inertGrade™ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robust, adherent cells (e.g.s, HEK293, HeLa, CHO, A549, NIH/3T3, C2C12, HepG2) ** | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
| ||
| Fibroblasts, epithelial cells * | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Primary cells (e.g. HUVEC, keratinocytes) ** | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Cardiomyocytes, neurons | ✓ | ||||||
| Stem cells (e.g., MSC, iPSC, HSC) *** | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Organoids *** | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Spheroids | ✓ | ||||||
| Suspension cells (e.g., Jurkat, CHO-S, HL-60) | ✓ |
Picking the best surface for your cells
Adherent cells prefer polar surfaces that possess hydrophilic functional groups while suspension cells prefer extremely hydrophobic or hydrophilic surfaces that don’t allow any immobilization. Four different plate surfaces – cellGrade™, cellGrade™ plus, cellGrade™ premium, inertGrade™ – allow the optimum combination between microplate and specific cell line.
Table 2. BRAND surfaces for cell culture
| Surface | Description |
|---|---|
| cellGrade | For cultivation of adherent cell lines For standard applications in cell culture |
| cellGrade plus | Enhances cell adhesion (via protein-like constitution of the surface) Suited for serum-reduced cultivation of cells. |
| cellGrade premium | Poly-D-Lysine-equivalent surface Surface suited for serum-free and serum-reduced cultivation of cells. |
| inertGrade | For cultivation of suspension cell lines Optimized surface characteristics reduce cell adhesion and protein adsorption, minimizing enzyme and cellular activation. |
Why BRAND?
BRAND life science consumables are trusted by scientists worldwide for their exceptional quality and performance. Consistently high-quality plastics allow users to achieve reproducible results. Manufactured in Germany in an award-winning facility, they are produced in ISO-certified cleanrooms, ensuring every plate meets the highest standards of cleanliness and dimensional accuracy. A broad selection of plate colors, bottoms, surface treatments, and well counts allows you to choose exactly what your workflow demands. Whether you’re working with high throughput screening assays or growing 3D cell culture models, BRAND cell culture plates deliver reliable performance every time.
BRANDTECH Scientific is the US and Canadian division of the Brand® Group offering BRAND®, VACUUBRAND®, and VITLAB® laboratory equipment that is manufactured in our German facilities with the highest standards for quality and service.