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CellASIC® ONIX Microfluidic Platform

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CellASIC ONIX2
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Chief Technologist for Cell Culture Talks About Advances in Live Cell Imaging and Microfluidics
The CellASIC® ONIX2 Microfluidic Platform overcomes the limitations encountered with traditional microfluidic setups. Whether your experiment demands cell culture in hypoxia or dynamic changes in temperature, the platform provides an easy-to-use, intuitive solution. The control system is connected to the microfluidic plate via a low-profile manifold, which enables setup on any inverted microscope. Gas and temperature controls connect directly to the cell culture chamber, eliminating the need for atmosphere and humidity control on your microscope.

The Uniquely Designed Platform Components that Enable Live Cell Analysis Include:

Control System

CellASIC® ONIX2 Microfluidic Platform Control System

The control system contains its own, internal pressure/vacuum supply to enable flow control in any setting. The system is the equivalent of 8 syringe pumps, a perfusion chamber apparatus, and a CO2 incubator, at a fraction of the cost, with greatly improved quality and ease of use, and easily portable from one microscope to another. A low-profile manifold connects the control system to the plates, and is easy to adapt to any inverted microscope stage.

Pneumatic Switching

CellASIC® Pneumatic Flow Switching

The CellASIC® flow control systems use pneumatic pressure to direct microfluidic flows. This allows for a "flow switching" type of experiment not easily accomplished with other perfusion systems. For example, this system enables the user to culture cells on the microscope stage, expose the cells to one solution for a specified period of time, switch to a completely different solution and image the response, switch solutions again, etc. The CellASIC® ONIX2 system is equipped with 8 independent flow lines, enabling a wide range of applications. In addition, the programmable software interface makes setting up time-varying exposures easier than ever.

Merck:/Freestyle/BI-Bioscience/Cell-Culture/cellASIC/pneumatic-switching-685x145.jpg

The basic setup of the pneumatic device is depicted above, consisting of a computer, control system, manifold, and microfluidic plate. Key features of each component are listed, along with the means of communication between units.

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Low-profile Manifold

CellASIC® ONIX2 Microfluidic Platform Manifold

A low-profile manifold connects the control system with the microfluidic plates. Various manifold layouts are available to address different plate formats and application types.

  • Manifold forms an airtight seal to the top of the microfluidic plate, enabling pressure-driven flow of liquids to the cell chamber.
  • No contact between the flow system and the biological solutions (on the plate), preventing contamination and lengthy clean-up.
  • Low-profile manifold sits directly on top of the microfluidic plate, making it easy to adapt to any inverted microscope stage.
  • Control apparatus is linked via air lines up to 2 meters away, saving precious microscope space.
  • Plate/manifold assembly is held together by a vacuum mechanism, and takes only 1-2 seconds for “one-touch” manifold-to-plate sealing.


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Time and Labor Savings

CellASIC® Time and Labor Savings

The CellASIC® ONIX2 system is extraordinarily intuitive and user-friendly, eliminating the headaches and tedium associated with the "early days" of microfluidic bio-devices. This worry-free operation is especially important for live cell analysis experiments, where one is often working with very expensive microscopes and every minute counts.



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Setup Requirements

CellASIC® ONIX2 Control System Setup Requirements

  • Inverted microscope with 96-well stage holder
  • Two standard power outlets (120-240V)
  • USB port on a Windows PC
  • CO2 or pre-mixed gas input line (optional)


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Manifold

CellASIC® ONIX2 Microfluidic Platform Manifold

A low-profile manifold connects the control system with the microfluidic plates. Various manifold layouts are available to address different plate formats and application types.

  • Manifold forms an airtight seal to the top of the microfluidic plate, enabling pressure-driven flow of liquids to the cell chamber.
  • No contact between the flow system and the biological solutions (on the plate), preventing contamination and lengthy clean-up.
  • Low-profile manifold sits directly on top of the microfluidic plate, making it easy to adapt to any inverted microscope stage.
  • Control apparatus is linked via air lines up to 2 meters away, saving precious microscope space.
  • Plate/manifold assembly is held together by a vacuum mechanism, and takes only 1-2 seconds for “one-touch” manifold-to-plate sealing.


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