Cancer Researchers Can For The First Time Accurately Measure Cell Clusters Without Cell Separation with 3D Imaging 

Preston based Image Solutions (UK) Ltd have just launched the first of its kind, the unique CQ1 – a Confocal Quantitative Image Cytometer from Japanese company Yokogawa.

Researchers all over the world have been waiting for a device like this.  It can accurately quantify the morphological features of live individual cells, clusters such as spheroids, colonies and also tissue sections without the time consuming need to separate cells or remove them from a culture dish. 

Unlike conventional devices, the CQ1 uses a microlens enhanced dual Nipkow disk confocal optical system to obtain accurate 3D images of cell morphological features and measure cell position. This allows scientists to obtain more accurate and reproducible data by maintaining the original biological functions and features of the cells in cell clusters. It is also possible to continue culture experiments for repetitive measurements in order to examine chronological changes – saving time and improving testing efficiency.  A fully customised CQ1 system can also be integrated with external systems for robotic culture dish handling.

The CQ1 is already growing in importance in areas such as regenerative medicine, cell quality evaluation for drug discovery, pharmacology, biopsy evaluation and the study of cancer and other diseases where it is essential to accurately quantify live cell morphological features without interfering with the cell’s biological functions. It is also becoming very important in other types of cell-related research that involve fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH).