A Micro-Incubator for Cell and Tissue Imaging

Abstract

A low-cost micro-incubator for imaging dynamic processes in living cells and tissues has been developed. This micro-incubator provides a tunable environment that can be altered to study responses of cell monolayers for several days as well as relatively thick tissue samples and tissue-engineered epithelial tissues in experiments lasting several hours. Samples are contained in a sterile cavity closed by a gas-permeable membrane. The incubator can be positioned in any direction and used on an inverted or upright microscope. Temperature is regulated using a Peltier module controlled by a sensor positioned close to the sample, enabling compensation for any changes in temperature. Rapid changes in a sample's surrounding environment can be achieved due to the fast response of the Peltier module. These features permit monitoring of sample adaptation to induced environmental changes.

A Portable Microscale Cell Culture System with Indirect Temperature Control

“…A precisely controllable cell culture temperature provides several opportunities for temperature-dependent cell behavior studies. For example, it enables one to characterize transient behaviors of the cell cultures during the heating and cooling phases around the physiological temperature, 2 or to determine a temperature threshold for the activation of ion channels. 49 Our system can precisely monitor and control cell culture temperature T cell during temperature transients, as shown here.…”

“…Furthermore, a physiologically relevant cell culture environment is key for achieving the reliable data required in, for example, stem cell-based disease-modeling studies. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Compared to traditional cell-culturing methods using bioreactors, the use of microfabricated microfluidic systems is a fascinating approach due to its better control over the physiological culturing conditions. [7][8][9] Other advantages of using these devices are their faster response times, lower fabrication costs and power requirements, and smaller reagent consumption.…”

“…Furthermore, a physiologically relevant cell culture environment is key for achieving the reliable data required in, for example, stem cell–based disease-modeling studies. 1–6…”

“…Also, if one is placing the temperature sensor inside the chamber, close to the cells, a larger cell culture chamber is often required. 2,10 Therefore, an indirect temperature measurement is preferable to a direct measurement in the cell area.…”

Automated Multichamber Time-lapse Videography for Long-term In Vivo Observation of Migrating Cells

“…'Homemade' environmental chambers have been documented since the early 1950s (1-7) with various chamber types, many of which closely resemble modern designs (8)(9)(10)(11). More recently, environmental chambers have been combined with time-lapse videography to study living cells (12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”