Bio Rad ZOE Fluorescent Cell Imager

Bio-Rad Laboratories has announced the ZOE Fluorescent Cell Imager, a cell imaging system which can deliver the power of microscopy in a system that is as easy to use as a tablet. The system includes three fluorescent channels and brightfield to simplify fluorescence imaging for cell culture applications.

Fluorescence microscopes are used in traditional cell culture workflows to confirm transfection efficiency and visualise fluorescent proteins. Performing this task requires training and the process can be time-consuming. Fluorescence microscopes can take 15 min to warm up and the systems are often located in a separate facility that is outfitted with a darkroom.

The imager’s LEDs are instantly ready to use after the power is turned on. Researchers simply place their culture dish onto the product’s stage and then access all controls using the LCD touch screen, tapping the screen to capture images and pinching with their fingers to zoom up to 20x magnification. Outfitted with a light shield, the device enables users to perform fluorescence experiments in ambient light on their lab benchtop, eliminating the need for a dedicated darkroom.

Detection of fluorescence emission at blue, green and red wavelengths is accomplished with three fluorescence channels optimised for commonly used fluorophores. The product’s motorised stage and large field of view (0.70 mm²) enable researchers to quickly see more of their sample. Users can merge images for co-expression experiments and store up to 12 GB of image files for export to a USB flash drive.