Go beyond traditional microscopy: Livecyte 2 launched July 2019

Traditional label-free microscopy systems often fail to automatically identify individual cells due to lack of contrast, and while labelled techniques can produce high-contrast images, they ultimately perturb the cells and can be phototoxic. This can limit the type of cell that can be used and the duration that they can be imaged before measurement-induced cell behaviour changes emerge.

Livecyte is the only instrument for live cell research that uses Ptychography (Ptychographic Quantitative Phase Imaging) to capture images that measure the morphology and motion of cells, without the use of labels and at scale. Optimised for long-term, non-invasive monitoring of live cells, Livecyte allows robust automatic tracking and behavioural analysis of thousands of individual cells within heterogeneous cell populations. Unique morphological, temporal and dynamic phenotypic data make it simple to gain new biological insights and accelerate your research.

The latest compact Livecyte 2, launched July 2019, is packed with a bunch of new features and a savvy modular purchase structure, making it very interesting indeed.

Livecyte 2 Dashboards, providing intuitive representations of the complex measured data, are automatically generated. These Dashboards easily combine application specific unique sets of parameters, including a multipanel video, initial experimental conditions and the dynamic behaviour of the experimental parameters over time. This allows a user to quickly and intuitively reach valid conclusions relating to their experimental outcomes.

Automated Individual cell segmentation and tracking allows a phenotypic fingerprint to be assigned to every cell within large and complex populations (mixed cultures, heterogeneous populations). The continuous nature of acquisition enables detailed dynamic data on cell behaviour to be captured over time, together with morphological changes. This combination of parameters can be captured label-free. Unique cell tracking refinement software enables full lineage and cell fate tracing with fully quantitative metrics for every cell at every time-point.

Screenshot of cell tracking software featuring ‘track health’, tools to edit and repair tracks along with suggested solutions. For a larger image, click here.

A game changer to how cell motility is analysed is possible, scratch wounds can be replaced with random motility assays — thereby negating the requirement to insult the culture with a scratch, imposing an unnatural cascade. Subtle changes in cellular phenotypes can be elucidated by different kinetic data in cell populations previously unseen; consider a breast cancer cell line treated with a tonic stimulation of Staurosporine. The figure below shows a comparison between untreated and a 1 nmol Staurosporine treated MDA-MB-231 Cells. Changes in confluence and dry mass measurements demonstrate little variation between the two populations, whereas tracking the cell’s Meandering Index and Euclidean Distance the phenotypic variation is exposed. It is clear the untreated cells are relatively immobile, whereas the low-dosed cells are far more active, highlighting the need to be rigorous in dose evaluation, given these are Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells.

Kasprowicz R et al 2017. Characterising live cell behaviour: Traditional label-free and quantitative phase imaging approaches (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1357272517300055?via%3Dihub). Republished under CC BY 4.0. For a larger image, click here.

In Summary, Livecyte 2 offers:

• High contrast imaging enabling segmentation & tracking plus metrics for individual cells and populations
• High content & Unique information — an Assay driven approach — Multiple outputs
• Label Free — non perturbing
• Cells are viable — even after up to 2 weeks — you can remove your cells post acquisition and continue their Culture, perhaps isolate a specific phenotype... We have just borrowed your cells.

Livecyte complements existing platforms — no Live cell imaging facility should be without the Livecyte 2.

For more information, please contact Peter Davis.

ATA Scientific Pty Ltd
pdavis@atascientific.com.au
Web: www.atascientific.com.au

Top image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Siarhei