Single cell picking like a pro: MMI CellEctor

A cell picker is an automated system used to select and isolate individual cells from a heterogeneous population. Cell picking is performed for various tasks such as cell sorting and single-cell analysis (e.g. single cell genomics to understand cellular heterogeneity and gene expression at the single cell level). The use of a cell picker has significantly advanced the field of cell biology and contributed to breakthroughs in various areas of research, such as cancer biology, stem cell research, and immunology, by enabling more precise and targeted analyses at the single cell level.

The MMI CellEctor cell picking system automated the cell pickup process using a microscope-based micro-capillary sorting system. The highly precise MMI CellPump enables single cell isolation even in nanoliter volumes. Since the system is fully motorized and computer controlled, it offers complete control in manual and automated cell recognition, acquisition and deposition modes.

Target your population using brightfield or fluorescence live imaging. Select the cell or cells (multi-selection) of interest by yourself or use the optional CellDetector analysis software to automatically identify your target cells.

Single cells can be collected with the cell picker manually or automatically onto a wide range of slide-based platforms. The user gets full optical control throughout the whole workflow. Optional rinsing in the cleaning solution prevents carry-over effects.

Update the cell picker with the optional MMI CellDetector. CellDetector is an artificial analysis software that automatically detects rare cells from any sample based on their color (fluorescence), morphology and relative size. Automated cell detection with CellDetector eliminates the need for time-consuming manual searching and therefore ensures optimal work away convenience. Never before has the isolation of your target cells been so effortlessly precise.

The following example shows the automatic detection of sperm cells (highlighted in red) of a vaginal swab. These sperm cells can be individually isolated for forensic DNA profiling.

Sievewell chips are a new generation of nanowell arrays. Each nanowell contains two micropores at the bottom, connected to a small liquid gap beneath. This design captures cells within the nanowells and creates a one-directional flow from the top of the liquid chamber, through the pores, into the liquid gap below. This allows for the separation and capture of single cells, as well as direct processing within the nanowells – such as antibody labelling, staining, and washing – without any cell loss. The Sievewell nanowells ensures efficient handling of rare single-cell applications like isolating circulating tumor cells, fetal cells, and more. 

Combined with the MMI CellEctor cell picker, the Sievewell nanowells enable full automation for identifying single cells and ensure 100% pure isolation of the desired target cells.

• Standard microscope slide format
• 2x nanowell sizes: 20 µm (370,000 nanowells) and 50 µm (90,000 nanowells)
• The hexagonal configuration of the nanowells is perfectly suited for automated cell detection and counting.

Click here for more information about the Sievewell nanowells
 

The isolation of adherent single cells is challenging since the adhesive forces prevent detachment and uptake of the cells. Living adherent cells can typically be detached by trypsinization, but the cells’ RNA and protein expression profile will be altered by this treatment, leading to biased transcriptomics or proteomics data.

With the ground-breaking shake mode feature, the MMI CellEctor cell picker can isolate adherent cells without compromising their viability or integrity. Thus, living adherent cells can now be selectively isolated and utilized for any downstream applications, even for sensitive RNA expression analysis. Read more about the isolation of adherent cell in our Application Note.