BioFlux™ 200 System Delivers Live Cell Imaging With Controlled Shear Flow

Fluxion Biosciences, a leading provider of functional cell biology platforms, introduced its new BioFlux 200 system at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting this month. This second-generation system adds advanced capabilities and higher throughput for live cell imaging in applications such as cell adhesion and microbial biofilm studies. BioFlux 200 incorporates Fluxion’s proprietary microfluidic design to deliver an automated, reproducible system for studying live cells and biofilms under controlled-shear conditions. The system simulates in vivo physiological conditions more closely than current approaches.

The BioFlux 200 delivers up to a 50-fold increase in throughput over traditional methods, which are commonly performed one at a time. The system can produce between 50 and 100 data points from cell adhesion assays in just 30 minutes. BioFlux 200 runs Fluxion’s SBS-standard 24- or 48-well disposable microtiter plates. Each BioPlate is supplied pre-sterilized with all of the fluidics fully integrated to the bottom of the well plate. This eliminates several time-consuming washing and sterilizing steps commonly associated with flow-cell devices.

The BioFlux 200 includes software to easily automate experimental setup, saving time and eliminating user variability. The advanced image analysis system for cell adhesion also allows investigators to automate calculation of static adhesion, migration and rolling velocities.
“BioFlux addresses a real challenge in controlled-shear assays,” commented Michael Schwartz, product manager for Fluxion. “Our customers have reported dramatic improvements in experimental throughput, performance and reproducibility.”

BioFlux 200 is ideally suited for the analysis of functional cell-based assays, including biofilms and cell adhesion, common in disease and drug discovery research. Biofilms are bacterial or fungal layers that form in the body and can become up to a 1,000 times more resistant to treatment. They are implicated in a number of diseases including cystic fibrosis and pneumonia. Cellular adhesion studies are increasingly being used in research on inflammation, cancer, stem cells and cardiovascular disease.