Nexcelom Bioscience Adds User-Changeable Fluorescence Optics Modules to Cellometer Vision
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Nexcelom Bioscience LLC, has announced a major enhancement - the addition of user-changeable fluorescence optics modules - to Cellometer® Vision, its automated fluorescence-based imaging cell counter and analyzer.
Designed for laboratories that routinely work with cells tagged with a large variety of fluorescent labels, the new Cellometer Vision allows users to easily change out either of the two fluorescence optics modules in the instrument and replace it with another one. This enables scientists to perform experiments using their choice of fluorescent labels, with a broad spectrum of excitation and emission wavelengths from ultraviolet to red.
“Many Cellometer customers measure cell viability using mitochondrial activity assays, apoptosis assays, membrane integrity assays, and other functional assays that involve a variety of fluorescent reagents,” said Dr. Jean Qiu, the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Nexcelom Bioscience.
“Typically, a reagent is selected partially for the existing instrument hardware suitable for the specific fluorescence wavelength. With the user-changeable optics modules, imaging hardware is no longer the limitation. For example, one scientist in the lab can run dual-fluorescence viability assay for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) based on the membrane integrity and nucleus staining. Within a few minutes, another scientist can measure transfection efficiency using red fluorescent protein (RFP) by changing to a new optics module that is optimized for the excitation and emission spectrum of RFP,” Dr. Qiu continued.
Using proprietary patent-pending image processing and data analysis algorithms, Cellometer Vision combines brightfield microscopy and one or two fluorescence colors to count and analyze cells that are loaded into a disposable chamber. A wide variety of fluorescent dyes may be used to stain the cells, providing clear declustering of the cells to generate reliable viability results.
Because the new Cellometer Vision expands the diversity of fluorescence-based assays that can be performed, numerous types of complex cell samples will benefit significantly, including primary cells such as PBMCs (often with red blood cell and platelet contamination), splenocytes (clumpy with debris and red blood cell contamination), single cell suspension from digesting primary tumors (often forming cell clusters with debris), primary adipocytes and primary hepatocytes (with cell clusters, fragment debris, free nuclei, and complicated cell morphology).
The most commonly used fluorescent dyes include DAPI, acridine orange, ethidium bromide, and propidium iodide. Currently, seven standard models of fluorescence optics modules are available from Nexcelom Bioscience.
Designed for laboratories that routinely work with cells tagged with a large variety of fluorescent labels, the new Cellometer Vision allows users to easily change out either of the two fluorescence optics modules in the instrument and replace it with another one. This enables scientists to perform experiments using their choice of fluorescent labels, with a broad spectrum of excitation and emission wavelengths from ultraviolet to red.
“Many Cellometer customers measure cell viability using mitochondrial activity assays, apoptosis assays, membrane integrity assays, and other functional assays that involve a variety of fluorescent reagents,” said Dr. Jean Qiu, the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Nexcelom Bioscience.
“Typically, a reagent is selected partially for the existing instrument hardware suitable for the specific fluorescence wavelength. With the user-changeable optics modules, imaging hardware is no longer the limitation. For example, one scientist in the lab can run dual-fluorescence viability assay for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) based on the membrane integrity and nucleus staining. Within a few minutes, another scientist can measure transfection efficiency using red fluorescent protein (RFP) by changing to a new optics module that is optimized for the excitation and emission spectrum of RFP,” Dr. Qiu continued.
Using proprietary patent-pending image processing and data analysis algorithms, Cellometer Vision combines brightfield microscopy and one or two fluorescence colors to count and analyze cells that are loaded into a disposable chamber. A wide variety of fluorescent dyes may be used to stain the cells, providing clear declustering of the cells to generate reliable viability results.
Because the new Cellometer Vision expands the diversity of fluorescence-based assays that can be performed, numerous types of complex cell samples will benefit significantly, including primary cells such as PBMCs (often with red blood cell and platelet contamination), splenocytes (clumpy with debris and red blood cell contamination), single cell suspension from digesting primary tumors (often forming cell clusters with debris), primary adipocytes and primary hepatocytes (with cell clusters, fragment debris, free nuclei, and complicated cell morphology).
The most commonly used fluorescent dyes include DAPI, acridine orange, ethidium bromide, and propidium iodide. Currently, seven standard models of fluorescence optics modules are available from Nexcelom Bioscience.
