Acquisition of an IncuCyte S3 Live-Cell Analysis System

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research (CPR) was established in 2007 at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, to promote basic and applied discovery research on human proteins of medical relevance.

The IncuCyte Live-Cell Analysis System is the first real-time system that automatically captures and analyzes images of living cells around-the-clock for days, weeks, or months, while cells remain undisturbed inside a standard tissue culture incubator.

Sartorius Lab Instruments is is the sole manufacturer of the Incucyte S3 and is the sole distributor in Denmark. The IncuCyte Live-Cell Analysis System is the only system available on the market with the following capabilities:

1) The automated image acquisition and analysis system can operate and capture images from within a standard tissue culture incubator so that precise control of temperature, humidity and other environmental factors such as CO2 and oxygen can be maintained;

2) The optics can move to the areas being imaged. The cell culture vessels must remain stationary during this process. Stationary optics and stage driven vessel movement are not acceptable;

3) The system is capable of simultaneously imaging and analyzing any mixture of 6 assay plates that conform to the ANSI/SLAS standard for assay plates. These include:

• 384-well microplates;

• 96-well microplates;

• 48-well plates;

• 24-well plates;

• 12-well plates; and

• 6-well plates.

Each assay plate is able to run a different application, accommodating six different assay applications in parallel;

4) The system can accommodate the following but is not limited to the following plastic tissue culture vessels:

• 92.6 cm² roboflask;

• 500 cm² tripleflask;

• 84 cm² Autoflask;

• 225 cm² flasks;

• 185 cm² flasks;

• 182 cm² flasks;

• 175 cm² flasks;

• 162 cm² flasks;

• 150 cm² flasks;

• 75 cm² flasks;

• 25 cm² flasks;

• 35 mm dishes;

• 60 mm dishes;

• 100 mm dishes;

• 150 mm dishes;

• chambered slides and microslides;

5) The system possess fully automated, hands-free operation for periods exceeding 25 days and is designed to autofocus and auto expose without intervention during this time period. The

automated imaging system can return to the same location in a repeated fashion without error over this same time period;

6) The software is capable of generating label free, time based, growth curves for cells in 2D and spheroid cultures;

7) The software is able to mask, quantify and generate time based curves based on fluorescence metrics including but not limited to:

• fluorescent count;

• fluorescent average area;

• fluorescent total area;

• fluorescent confluence;

• fluorescent mean intensity;

• fluorescent average integrated intensity;

• fluorescent total integrated intensity; and

• fluorescent eccentricity;

8) Control of the system is distributed over a network and the client software is able to elicit control of the automated image acquisition and analysis system from any networked computer. Unlimited licensees of the client software is available. The client software does not operate using a client computer license key or dongle;

9) The system can perform whole-well imaging for selected vessels and include software for image navigation and panning;

10) The system has high definition phase contrast optics and two fluorescent wavelengths (red: ex 565-605 nm, em 625-705 nm; green: ex440-480 nm, em504-544 nm). The fluorescence optics are capable of reading YoPro-3, mKate2, GFP, YFP, Alexa 488, intercalating DNA dyes, fluorescein or fluorescein derivatives;

11) The high definition optics of the system can image standard 384 well tissue culture plates without any sidewall or meniscus effects;

12) The system has the following objectives on an automated turret: 4x PLAN, 10x PLAN FLUOR, and 20x PLAN FLUOR.