A Modular and Affordable Time-Lapse Imaging and Incubation System Based on 3D-Printed Parts, a Smartphone, and Off-The-Shelf Electronics

Time-lapse imaging is a powerful tool for studying cellular dynamics and cell behavior over long periods of time to acquire detailed functional information. However, commercially available time-lapse imaging systems are expensive and this has limited a broader implementation of this technique in low...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2016-12, Vol.11 (12), p.e0167583-e0167583
Main Authors: Hernández Vera, Rodrigo, Schwan, Emil, Fatsis-Kavalopoulos, Nikos, Kreuger, Johan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3-D printers
Biology
Cell culture
Cell growth
Cell Line, Tumor
Design
Earth Sciences
Economic aspects
Electronic components
Electronic components industry
Electronics
Engineering and technology
Environmental conditions
Evaporation
Humans
Imaging
Incubation
Management
Medical research
Microfluidics
Microscopes
Microscopy
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Printing, Three-Dimensional - instrumentation
Research and analysis methods
Smart phones
Smartphone
Smartphones
Software
Temperature
Three dimensional printing
Time-Lapse Imaging - instrumentation
Time-Lapse Imaging - methods
Time-lapse photography
Transformation
Workflow
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Summary:Time-lapse imaging is a powerful tool for studying cellular dynamics and cell behavior over long periods of time to acquire detailed functional information. However, commercially available time-lapse imaging systems are expensive and this has limited a broader implementation of this technique in low-resource environments. Further, the availability of time-lapse imaging systems often present workflow bottlenecks in well-funded institutions. To address these limitations we have designed a modular and affordable time-lapse imaging and incubation system (ATLIS). The ATLIS enables the transformation of simple inverted microscopes into live cell imaging systems using custom-designed 3D-printed parts, a smartphone, and off-the-shelf electronic components. We demonstrate that the ATLIS provides stable environmental conditions to support normal cell behavior during live imaging experiments in both traditional and evaporation-sensitive microfluidic cell culture systems. Thus, the system presented here has the potential to increase the accessibility of time-lapse microscopy of living cells for the wider research community.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0167583