Live Cell Imaging & Video Microscopy

Live cell imaging is the high-end field of today’s imaging techniques. It helps to understand the role of the vast number of proteins involved in cellular processes within living cells. In addition to high-end requirements for the microscopes, it is very important to provide a micro-environment that keeps the cells under natural conditions. The µ-Slide concept – to merge the place of the cell cultivation, manipulation, and imaging – is the ideal base for that.

Cell viability, cell proliferation, and other important cell functionsincluding apoptosis, cell adhesion, chemotaxis, multidrug resistance, endocytosis, secretion, and signal transduction can be monitored and stimulated with various chemical and biological reagents. All of these cell processes can be visualized directly on the microscope.

Cell microscopy is frequently used in cell based assays. Thereby, the number of cells of a certain cell type, their growth rate, or the cell viability is of interest. The high optical quality of the µ-Slides allows the direct analysis of these processes. Therefore, µ-Slides can be used for routine testing and high throughput screenings of these functions.

Live cell imaging allows to analyze structural and functional relations of cellular processes on a molecular level in real-time. During this analysis the cell environment needs to be monitored precisely for humidity, temperature, and gas exchange. Therefore, we have developed a new heating stage and an incubator that is fully compatible with all microscopy platforms.

A special locking feature of the µ-Slide I and of the µ-Dish prevents the evaporation of cell culture medium and allows long-term experiments with a perfect control of humidity. The gas exchange in all µ-Slides happens partially through the bottom. Therefore, superb cell growth is guaranteed, even with completely closed lids.

Ideally, µ-Slides can be used in complex assays. To provide optimal cell culture conditions, ibidi also offers a fine selection of additional cell culture tools such as heating stages, pumps, incubators, and a freezing medium. For live cell assays based on impedance measurements the ECIS technology can be used.