Protocols
Protocols and SOPs — what's the difference?
In tissue culture forums and research papers, people talk about protocols. In xPlant, the equivalent concept is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This guide explains how they relate and how to turn any tissue culture protocol into a trackable, repeatable lab procedure.
Protocol vs SOP
Both terms describe a detailed set of steps for a lab procedure. The difference is scope and authority:
Protocol
A detailed, often peer-reviewed procedure — the scientific specification for exactly how a task should be done. Common in research literature and supplied by reagent vendors.
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
Your lab's adapted version of a protocol — written for your specific equipment, team, and conditions. In xPlant an SOP is a living document that you can attach to transfers, log executions against, and review over time.
Practical takeaway:Start from a published protocol, adapt it to your lab's equipment and reagents, and save it as an SOP in xPlant. The protocol is your reference; the SOP is your practice.
Why log protocols as xPlant SOPs
Turn a protocol into a checklist
Paste the key steps from a published protocol into an xPlant SOP. During transfers, you can reference the SOP on-screen so the bench worker never has to remember the full procedure.
Track every execution
Each time someone runs the SOP, a log is created with the date, outcome, and any deviations noted. Over time, this builds a record you can review for patterns.
Attach media and additives
Link your SOP to a media recipe so the correct formulation is surfaced alongside the procedure — reducing the chance of using the wrong concentration.
Reduce contamination from skipped steps
Most contamination events in tissue culture come from skipped or inconsistent steps. Logged SOPs create accountability and make it easier to find the source when something goes wrong.
Common tissue culture protocols
Every lab's protocols will differ based on species, equipment, and scale — but these are the procedures most labs document first:
Building your first SOP from a protocol
- 1Find or write the protocol steps — from a paper, vendor datasheet, or your own bench notes.
- 2Open xPlant → SOPs → New SOP. Give it a short, scannable name like "MS Multiplication — Subculture" or "Bleach Surface Sterilization".
- 3Add each protocol step as a numbered SOP step. Keep each step to one action.
- 4Add any cautions, material requirements, or variant notes in the SOP notes field.
- 5During your next transfer, select the SOP and log the outcome. Note any deviations.
- 6After a few runs, review the execution history to see if any steps are consistently skipped or modified — that's your cue to update the SOP.
Ready to document your protocols?
Head to your SOPs dashboard to create your first procedure, or read the sterilization guide for a sample protocol to start with.