Cell Metric®

  • Cell MetricCell Metric® is our entry-level system.

    This is the ideal system for customers transitioning from manual microscope analysis of plates to an automated system with photo-documentation.

    Cell Metric® is a fully-automated benchtop system that uses non-invasive brightfield imaging for analysis of settled suspension or adherent cells. Cells are imaged in lidded, flat-bottomed microplates (384, 96, 24, 6-well) in their normal liquid media environment. Plates are loaded manually into the instrument and software set-up takes seconds. Scanning of the entire plate is rapid ( from less than 3 mins) with whole-well images captured automatically at single-cell resolution. Results are reviewed on the instrument computer or at your desktop using the remote viewer software. Simple analysis and heat maps of plates quickly drill down to the wells of interest. Tracking of wells together with the associated images and data allows you to manage your workflow. 

    Cell Metric instrumentCell Metric® is ideal for:

    • clone screening in single labs or small groups (a few cell lines)
    • groups that pick colonies from semi-solid media and want to track subsequent growth, stability and protein productivity
    • cell culture groups monitoring cell proliferation, confluence and cell health
    • media optimisation study groups
    • stem cell groups

     

    The Cell Metric® can now be purchased with fluorescence detection features that enable the user to validate a new a seeding method or quality check their existing method. The factory fitted feature provides the user with the option to use red or green fluorescence channels, together or separately, for the method qualification and the outputs generated allow for either quick review of their seeding performance by the user or provide statistics available for export and further details data analysis.

    For higher-throughput workflow requirements, see:

     

    Note that Cell Metric® cannot be retrofitted or upgraded to Cell Metric® CLD.

     

    Key metrics

    Metric measuredDescriptionGraphic representation
    Single cell confirmation Single cell resolution image of whole well on day 0 Heat map of clonal cells. Photo-documentation at day 0
    Direct cell number count A direct count of the number of cells per well, without using fluorescent labels or conversion from confluence estimates Cell numbers per well –  used to monitor cell proliferation
    Confluence Measures percentage coverage or carpeting of the well base Displays % confluence for each well
    Growth rates Uses the cell count to generate and automatically update (using plate and well ID) growth curves for each clone Growth curve plots – used to look at stability and performance in different growth media and conditions
    Two channel fluorescence – Red and Green Fluorescing loci (cells) can be quickly detected in an image of a whole well on day 0 and be used to aid verification of the cloning method Plate overview map of wells with the fluorescent object count (both colours)

     

    Features

    Optional 2 channel fluorescence detection (Red and Green)Allows for verification or QC of cloning method using fluorescently labelled cells
    FeatureBenefits
    Single-cell resolution images Measure cells at day 0 straight after dispensing into plates.
    Avoids the need for sub-cloning of colonies and potentially shaves weeks off the cell line development process
    Cells are detected in the microplate wells Accurate cell number.
    Direct visual read with no pipetting errors from the well or perturbation of the cells
    Non-invasive: no stains, labels or dyes No sampling required and can make an unlimited number of consistent measurements of whole-well cell number.
    Important to avoid fluorescent labels where cell lines are intended for clinical and therapeutic candidates
    Read times from <3 minutes per plate Higher speed and accuracy compared to manual microscope method.
    Highest chance that cell has not divided by the time a well is read
    Automatic focusing across the well and across the plate Consistency. No wells are lost through being out of focus
    Even illumination and whole well read up to edges High image quality with no shadowing or halos at the well edges. This performance is needed for clone screening as single cells are often located at the edge of the well
    Works with all SBS-style plate formats Flexible applications from transfection pools through to candidate selection
    Digital record of cells Regulatory proof and audit trail
    Optional 2 channel fluorescence detection (Red and Green) Allows for verification or QC of cloning method using fluorescently labelled cells

     

    Physical specifications

    (Instrument only, excludes PC and monitor)

    Dimensions (H x W x D)
    485 mm x 465 mm x 325 mm
    19.1” x 18.3” x 12.8”

    Weight
    33 kg, 73 lbs

    Computer
    Dell Precision™ workstation
    Intel® Xeon® processor
    500 GB hard disk
    Microsoft Windows 7, 64-bit
    24" flat screen monitor

    Image acquisition
    Illumination: brightfield
    Resolution: 2 µm per pixel
    Image format: images stored in TIFF format 
    Acquisition speed: for a 96-well microplate, from <3 minutes for full scan

    Cell culture containers
    Most cell culture vessels that fit an SBS microplate footprint (128 x 86 mm) can be imaged, including 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 384 and 1536-well plates. High-quality plates produce the best-quality images.
    For more details and for other cell culture vessel formats, contact us.

    For research use only.

    To find out more, go to: