Upgraded Optical Component Enhances Automated Living Cell Research System

An upgraded automatic imaging system equipped with state-of-the-art optics is now available for studying living cells under flow conditions.

The Fluxion Biosciences Inc. (San Francisco, CA, USA) BioFlux 1000 system has enabled a wide variety of cell-based assays in the fields of immunology, vascular biology, microbiology, cancer research, stem cells, and more. Many of these applications, such as platelet adhesion, cell adhesion, rolling velocity, transmigration, and stem cell differentiation, have benefited from the system's ability to create a physiologically relevant shear-flow profile. Other applications, such as wound healing, chemotaxis, pharmacology, and neurite-outgrowth assays, benefited from its ability to introduce compounds and gradients in a time-resolved and well-controlled manner.

The BioFlux system utilizes a unique microfluidic design to enable automated cellular analyses in the presence of controlled shear flow. Micron-scale flow channel devices are integrated into standard microtiter plates. The lower surface of these devices is formed by cover slip glass optimized for high resolution microscopy data.

The new BioFlux 1000Z instrument maintains the BioFlux 1000's integrated system for automated, high-throughput shear-flow assays. This includes the BioFlux controller and a integrated imaging workstation, including a state of the art inverted microscope, automated XY stage, automated fluorescence, auto focus module, CCD camera, and PC workstation. In the new BioFlux 1000Z system, the optical component is based on the Zeiss (Jena, Germany) AxioObserver microscope. New modules for this platform include Zeiss' proprietary Definite Focus LED-based autofocus mechanism and PlasDIC module for differential internal contrast imaging.

"We are pleased to launch this new addition to the BioFlux product family,” said Michael Schwartz, program director at Fluxion Biosciences. "Carl Zeiss has a worldwide reputation for advanced optics and superb engineering. The combination of Zeiss microscopy hardware with Fluxion's Well Plate Microfluidic technology provides an advanced solution for cellular research and drug discovery.”

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Fluxion Biosciences Inc.
Zeiss