Live-Cell Imaging and Perfusion Chamber Internet Resources

Although many investigators have fabricated customized live-cell imaging chambers designed to meet specific requirements over the years, a wide range of commercial perfusion and imaging chambers are now available. These chambers offer numerous designs, including glass bottom Petri dishes, multi-well chambers mounted on microscope slides, heating stages with a variety of interchangeable perfusion adapters, and specialized chambers with conductive coatings for tight control of temperature. Listed in this section are links to the manufacturers and distributors of specimen chambers for live-cell imaging.

  • ALA Scientific Instruments - Based in New York, ALA features a large product lineup that includes microincubators and temperature control accessories. In addition, the company produces a Peltier heating and cooling pre-stage, recording chambers, in-line perfusion apparatus, micromanipulators, and heating tubes. Many of these products are targeted at electrophysiology research applications.
  • Applied Scientific Instrumentation - In addition to offering their own wide range of microscopy and imaging equipment, ASI supplies a variety of quality scientific products manufactured by other companies, including incubation chambers from Solent and Bioptechs. Complete system solutions and individual components suitable for experiments in several different fields, such as biology, biotechnology, and semiconductor manufacturing, are available.
  • AutoMate Scientific - Manufacturing scientific instrumentation since 1992, AutoMate Scientific specializes in providing a broad range of systems and components designed to meet the needs of neuroscience, biophysics, and pharmaceutical research. The company’s lineup includes perfusion systems and chambers, temperature control instrumentation, manipulators, modular amplifiers and stimulators, brain slice and tissue chambers, optical instruments, and more.
  • Bellco Glass - Bellco Glass is located in Vineland, New Jersey and was founded in the 1930s as the Bell Company, a name reflecting their original product offering, lamp founts shaped like bells. Today Bellco offers a comprehensive selection of standard glassware products as well as a considerable array of laboratory and research equipment. A line of plasticware for tissue culture experiments is included in their offerings. Culture chambers and dishes are available in both glass and plastic varieties.
  • Bioptechs - An optical engineering company specializing in live-cell microscopy environmental control systems, Bioptechs offers both open dish and closed chamber controlled culture systems, perfusion devices, objective heating systems, perfusion tubing, tuning adapters, and supplemental accessories. Chamber systems are available for upright as well as inverted microscopes.
  • Bioscience Tools: CB Consulting - Bioscience Tools is a San Diego, California based company that features an extensive product lineup ranging from automation software and automated microscopy workstations to patch clamp, perfusion, and imaging systems and instrumentation. Their offerings include numerous culture dishes, dish inserts, and chambers. Items likely to be of particular interest for live-cell imaging experiments are an ultra-thin sealed imaging chamber and miniature incubators that facilitate full environmental control.
  • C&L Instruments - The design and manufacture of instruments and accessories for fluorescence applications is the forte of C&L Instruments. Recently the company has developed the Vacu-Cell series of chambers, which are based on a unique design in which only one side of a coverslip or other surface needs to be in contact with the apparatus to form the chamber. Vacu-Cell chambers are available in several different models and configurations to suit a variety of perfusion and microscopy needs. Some feature an integrated heating element, while others can be employed with a heated stage adapter.
  • CellBiology Trading - Associated with the commercial branch of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), CellBiology Trading offers an EMBL observation chamber for live-cell applications. The chamber enables temperature control and humidity measurement, and is flexible enough in its design that a means of carbon dioxide control could be added as an accessory. Micromanipulation and microincubation products are made available by the company as well.
  • Chip-Man Technologies - Based in Finland, Chip-Man Technologies is a life science company producing innovative solutions to automate and quantify living cell biology. The company is focused on the following businesses: cell biology, functional genomics, drug discovery, in vitrofertilization, and toxicology.
  • Dagan Corporation - From its base in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dagan Corporation produces a range of equipment for use in microscopy, biophysics, neuroscience, physiology, and other scientific fields. Included among their offerings are several perfusion recording chambers, perfusion controllers, thermal stages, and heater temperature controllers.
  • Digitimer - Digitimer manufactures and supplies clinical and laboratory scientific instruments, specializing in servicing those working in the life sciences. A number of temperature controlled micro-incubators and chambers produced by other companies, such as AutoMate Scientific, Medical Systems, and Scientific Systems Design, are made available by Digitimer.
  • Grace Bio-Labs - Grace-Bio Labs was founded in the mid-1980s to provide labware and related products to the cell analysis and molecular pathology industries. The company’s offerings include an assortment of incubation, imaging, perfusion, and hybridization chambers. Most of these products are press to seal enclosures.
  • Harvard Apparatus - Harvard Apparatus has been a provider of scientific equipment and related products for more than 100 years, the company’s product range extending considerably over time. Today they offer many items for use in cell biology, cell imaging, and cell electrophysiology laboratories. These products include microincubators, microinjectors, imaging perfusion chambers, and Ussing chambers.
  • Integrated BioDiagnostics - The cornerstone of the Integrated BioDiagnostics product lineup is the micro-slide family of flow chambers for live-cell imaging. The unique chambers are available in many different designs and configurations, facilitating their usage in a wide variety of applications, including those involving cell culture, microscopy, imaging, immunofluorescence, FISH, and chemotaxis. In addition to the chambers, the company offers a heating stage and other live-cell research accessories.
  • Intracel - Intracel is a research equipment supplier based in the United Kingdom. As a representative of WillCo Glass, the company offers glass bottomed dishes, and as a representative of Bioptechs, they make available an array of observation and environmental control systems for live-cell microscopy.
  • In Vitro Systems and Services - Based in Germany, In Vitro Systems and Services manufactures gas-permeable plastic foil that the company utilizes in their production of bioreactors and culture dishes. Though their website is in German, information about In Vitro Systems and Services products can be obtained in English from Greiner Bio-One (www.greinerbioone.com), which is their main distributor.
  • Life Imaging Services - The primary focus of Life Imaging Services is to provide a wide variety of services related to live-cell microscopy, including data presentation. The products that they make available were developed for their own use before being marketed to the public. The Ludinimaging chamber and a microscope temperature control system are their key offerings.
  • MatTek - MatTek was founded by a couple of chemical engineering professors from MIT in the 1980s. The company produces and sells a variety of human cell-based three-dimensional in vitro tissue models, as well as multi-well culture plates and glass bottom culture dishes, which are available in both uncoated and coated forms.
  • Molecular Probes - Now part of Invitrogen, Molecular Probes is best known for their extensive range of fluorescent reagents and detection technologies. Included in the company’s large product lineup is the Attofluor cell chamber, which is designed specifically for live-cell observation, and a variety of CoverWell chamber gaskets, some of which are well suited for the imaging of live cells.
  • PeCon - PeCon specializes in manufacturing a variety of products for live-cell microscopists. Many of their offerings are designed be compatible with specific types and brands of microscopes. Instrumentation for controlling heating and cooling, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and evaporation is available from the German company. 
  • Physitemp Instruments - The products provided by Physitemp Instruments are all designed to help scientists control temperature, a crucial factor that affects biological and chemical activity. Peltier-equipped heating and cooling stages for microscopes and custom thermal chambers are included in the company’s product lineup.
  • SDR Clinical Technology - Servicing Australia and New Zealand, SDR specializes in supplying equipment and software for microscopy and the biological sciences. A considerable variety of recording chambers for microscopy applications are available from the company, as are perfusion systems, heated chamber platforms, and other temperature-control supplies.
  • Solent Scientific - Solent Scientific is a scientific instrumentation company located in the United Kingdom. The full enclosure incubation chambers provided by Solent facilitate precise control of temperature, carbon dioxide atmosphere, and humidity. The chambers can be employed with inverted, confocal, and multi-photon microscopes and are adaptable to accommodate various configurations.
  • Stratech Scientific - Based in the UK, Stratech Scientific is a provider of research tools and technical support for individuals working in many fields, including molecular biology, cell biology, and tissue culture. CoverWell imaging chambers are featured in the company’s product lineup. The reusable press-to-seal chambers are made specifically to meet the unique needs of confocal microscopy and imaging.
  • Warner Instruments - Warner Instruments, which is part of Harvard Apparatus, offers a broad range of devices and accessories to life science researchers. The products they design and manufacture include an extensive assortment of chambers and chamber systems, many of which are suitable for live-cell imaging applications.
  • WillCo Wells - Located in the Netherlands, WillCo Wells is a manufacturer of medical and laboratory disposables. The company offers an array of glass bottom dishes specially designed for tissue culture. The dishes can be equipped with a grid or an indium-tin oxide coating on the external surface of the glass bottom.
  • World Precision Instruments - In business since 1967, World Precision Instruments offers more than 1500 products in its lineup. Many offerings are available for cell and tissue researchers, including glass bottom culture dishes, stage heaters, and temperature control systems. The WPI FluoroDish is specifically made for observing live cells with inverted microscopes.

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Live-Cell Imaging and Perfusion Chambers

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