Incucyte: A Live-Cell Imaging System that fits into Standard CO2-Incubator

描述（由申请人提供）：能够观察细胞过程，如形态学变化，跟踪细胞命运和细胞相互作用，并通过延时成像记录它们，为我们对细胞功能的理解增加了重要的维度。荧光标记技术的出现以及大量复杂的光学显微镜技术和设备使得研究活细胞的动态过程成为一个普遍的地方。然而，对于许多这样的仪器来说，在显微镜下保持细胞的健康以监测更长时间是一个挑战。所提出的活细胞成像系统（IncucyteTM）旨在提供标准细胞培养二氧化碳培养箱内活细胞的连续延时图像。据我们所知，这是唯一的仪器，可以坐在标准细胞培养箱，并能够获得相衬和荧光图像的活细胞。诱导细胞可以容纳许多不同类型和品牌的标准细胞培养容器，从386孔微孔板到T-75烧瓶。用户可以通过网络访问的图形用户界面对仪器进行远程编程，获取不同空间位置和时间点的图像。专有的高清相位技术可以拍摄更清晰的图像，具有更多的细胞细节和更少的光晕。更重要的是，它消除了流体微小像差，这种像差会妨碍高格式板（如96和386孔微孔板）的相衬成像。几个主要用户使用供应商提供的试验仪器对诱导细胞系统进行了为期6个月的广泛测试。利用试用期间产生的数据，一个主要用户发表了一篇论文，另一个用户提交了一篇稿件。我们期望监测和成像的细胞过程和相互作用包括但不限于对肿瘤转移至关重要的上皮-间质转化和肿瘤-基质相互作用；类风湿关节炎中t细胞与成纤维细胞样滑膜细胞的相互作用间充质干细胞在肺损伤及修复中的作用以及免疫细胞和病原体在宿主防御过程中的相互作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ability to observe cellular processes such as change in morphology, tracking cell fate, and cellular interactions as they happen and documenting them by time-lapse imaging, adds a vital dimension to our understanding of cell function. The advent of fluorescent labeling technologies along with plethora of sophisticated light microscopy techniques and equipments made studying dynamic processes in living cells a common place. However, with many of these instruments, maintaining the health of a cell on a microscope stage for monitoring longer durations is a challenge. The proposed live-cell imaging system (IncucyteTM) is designed to provide continuous, time-lapse images of live cells from within the standard cell-culture carbon dioxide incubator. To the best of our knowledge this is the only instrument that can sit within the standard cell-culture incubator and capable of acquiring both phase contrast and fluorescent images of live cells. The incucyte can hold many different types and brands of standard cell culture vessels ranging from 386-well microplates to T-75 flasks. Users can remotely program the instrument via network accessible GUI to acquire images at different spatial locations and time points. The proprietary HD-phase technology allows taking crispier images with more cell detail and less halo. More importantly, it eliminates fluid-miniscus aberrations that prevent phase contrast imaging in higher format plates such as 96 and 386 well microplates. The incucyte system was extensively tested by several major users for a period of six months using a trial instrument provided by the vendor. With the data generated during the trial period, one of the major users published a paper and the other has a manuscript submitted. The cellular processes and interactions that we anticipate to monitor and image include, but not limited to, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions and tumor-stromal interactions that are critical for tumor metastasis; interactions between T-cell and fibroblast like synoviocytes in Rheumatoid arthritis; fate of mesenchymal stem cells in lung injury and repair; and immune cells and pathogen interactions during host defense.