Quantify cell adhesion, rolling, migration, cell-cell adhesion, platelet aggregation, thrombi formation - all under shear flow.
Introduction
The circulatory system contains many different types of blood vessels which delivers blood cells, nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide and hormones to all parts of the body. Blood vessels play a huge role in many medical conditions such as:
Thrombosis
Inflammation
Atherosclerosis
VenaFlux Solutions comprise packages to suit all budgets, with our Starter kit including a precision microfluidic pump, a microenvironmental chamber to hold the biochips which contain engineered microcapillaries and cell analysis software; to Pro and Elite versions including high-end fluorescent microscopes with a digital camera. The VenaFluxAssay software integrates the microfluidic pump, microscope and camera resulting in a complete automated high-throughput flow assay system for shear stress experiments.
Features and Benefits
COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION - integrate with your own inverted microscope.
THROMBOSIS, PLATELET ADHESION & AGGREGATION ASSAYS: 2.25 - 450 dyne/cm with Vena8 Fluoro+ Biochips.
CELL-LIGAND & CELL-CELL ROLLING, ADHESION & MIGRATION SHEAR FLOW ASSAYS: 0.05 - 10 dyne/cm with Vena8 Fluoro+ and Vena8 Endothelial+ Biochips.
MULTIPLEXED ASSAYS with Mirus Evo Pump and MultiFlow8 providing equal flow rates in 8 channels of Cellix's biochips. This enables multiple cell types or adhesion molecules to be tested simultaneously comparing different therapeutic treatments.
TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED CONDITIONS mimicking physiological conditions with microenvironmental chamber.
CELL ANALYSIS of % thrombus coverage and number of thrombi; number of cells adhered to protein-coated channels and analysis of rolling velocities of cells.
PROGRAMMABLE with PC-controlled VenaFluxAssay software enabling execution of customised protocols.
VenaFlux Solutions
VenaFlux Solutions comprise packages to suit all budgets. The four packages are as follows:
Equipment Requirements for VenaFlux Basic or Starter
Inverted microscope to image your experiment
Digital camera to capture images and record videos
Image Analysis Software
Computer to run the pump software, digital camera software and image analysis software
1. Inverted Microscope: e.g. AxioVert A1 fluorescence inverted microscope or similar.
Specifications include:
Objectives: 10X, 20X; 40X (LD A-plan 10x/0.25 Ph1 (PS); LD PN 20x/0.4 Corr Ph2; LD PN 40x/0.6 Corr Ph2)
LD condenser 0.4 for slider; Slider Ph/PlasDIC and Phase stop Ph 1/0.4 and Ph 2/0.4 for slider.
40X Phase contract objective; LD-plan Neofluar 40x/0.6 Corr Ph2 M27
LED-Modules: 355nm, 470nm and neutral white f. and reflector module FL EC P&C.
Filter sets: 49 DAPI, EX G365 shift free; 38 HE GFP shift free and 43 HE Cy3 shift free.
Camera Adaptor: C-Mount 60N-C 1" 1.0x
2. Digital Camera: there are several options and the most budget-friendly is our DC-AVA1800. Specifications include:
Sensor: Progressive Scan CMOS
Pixel area: 3.45μm x 3.45μm (11.90μm )
Frame rate: 53 fps
Peak Quantum Efficiency % at 529nm: 64%
Active Array Size: 2064 x 1544 (3.2 Megapixel)
Note: you may require a C-mount adaptor to connect this camera to your current microscope. Please contact Cellix with details of your microscope to ensure we can recommend the correct C-mount adapter. The list price for the C-mount adapters is usually ~€200-300.
3. Image Analysis Software: we recommend Image Pro cell analysis software.
It is supplied on a USB key which can plug directly into the computer for download of a single-user license. If your budget does not stretch to Image Pro, we recommend a free software package called ImageJ.
4. Computer Requirements: Windows 10 (not 11) required.
How does it work?
As seen in the image below, the PC with VenaFluxAssay software is connected to the Mirus Evo Pump via USB connection. The Mirus Evo Pump tubing kit connects the Mirus Evo Pump to the MultiFlow8 and the MultiFlow8 Connect cable connects the MultiFlow8 to the biochip. The biochip is placed in the microenvironmental chamber which sits on the microscope stage*.
* Microscope not included with VenaFlux Starter.
If you have any questions just drop us a mail at info@wearecellix.com. All our products are customisable to the needs of our customers. Talk to us about solutions that serve your goals best.
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