New System for Automated Culturing of Cell Lines

The Automation Partnership (TAP) is delighted to announce its CompacT SelecT™ system for automated culturing of cell lines in T-flasks, is now available with an integrated Beckman Coulter Vi-CELL® XR Cell Viability Analyser, making controlling consistent cell growth easier and more convenient. This new option on the CompacT SelecT, which is already being utilised by one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, features a fully integrated Vi-CELL XR Cell Viability Analyser to automate on-line measurement of viable cell number. The system uses sterile

disposable serological pipettes to transfer cell suspensions to the Vi-CELL XR, thus maintaining aseptic processing conditions throughout. This means cell culture processes can be performed at any time of the day or night, without researchers having to come into the laboratory or worry about potential contamination. Therefore, scientists can consistently maintain cell lines in their optimum state, without the constraints associated with manual cell culture.

Dr Dave Thomas, Product Manager at TAP Biosystems, explained: “Viable cell analysis is a crucial part of the cell culture process and cell line quality control. The ability to determine viable cell counts with the Vi-CELL XR in real time allow researchers to ensure cells are growing as they expect them to and that cells are seeded into flasks or assay plates at specific concentrations. This level of specificity, coupled with the repeatability of automated processing, consistently results in higher quality cell cultures and improved assay performance. Integrating the Vi-CELL XR into

all new CompacT SelecT systems gives researchers added confidence that cells cultured in a CompacT SelecT are performing optimally.

” Dr Thomas added: “Integration of Vi-CELL XR is the most recent addition to the capability of our automated cell culture systems and reinforces the systems’ flexibility in supporting a wide range of applications from basic research in cell biology, drug discovery programmes, or manufacture of cell therapies.”