Ovizio raises €8m ($9.1m) with US and Belgian investors
We are excited to announce that we have secured a funding round of € 8M ($ 9.1M). This financial support will allow us to continue developing our platform technology and to establish a global commercial organization to address unmet needs in the label-free cell counting market improving the day-to-day operations of our clients. The funds will also be used to further validate our technology in the in vitro diagnostics industry where it has the potential for early disease detection at a reduced cost.
Ovizio partners with Pall Life Sciences to expand and commercialize the iLine S microscope range
We are excited to announce a distribution partnership with Pall Life Sciences, a global leader in biopharmaceutical fluid management. Through the agreement, the iLine S microscope will be commercialized as part of Pall’s Xpansion® cell production platform.
OsOne-4.6 Released - Improved user interface and automated scanning of cell culture recipients
The principal features of this new version are the iLine-M support and the capabilities to scan multilayer recipients like Cell Factories. Other main features include an improved scanning of multiwell recipients, better refocus and auto-focus methods and a wizard to start suspension cell culture monitoring. Live phase image capturing, drastic reduction of computation time by using the GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) for all core treatments. Exporting data to flow cytometry standard formats is now possible.
Prof. Dr. Frank Gudermann is presenting an in-depth study on the evolution of cell counting.
There was a time when scientists had to pass by their lab during weekends. Good news, this time is over now! Don’t miss Professor Gudermann’s webinar on How Automation has Changed the Way we count Cells on June 9th. This Free Webinar is organised thanks to the collaboration of Applikon and Ovizio. Learn more and watch here.
Ovizio launches iLine F at ESACT meeting with global distributor Applikon
We announce today the launch of our new product, the iLine F, an in-line suspension cell-monitoring microscope. In collaboration with global distributor, Applikon, the iLine F is being showcased at booth #74 and #77 at the European Society for Animal Cell Technology congress (ESACT), held in Barcelona from May 31 to June 3.
Ovizio shows its new technologies at ESACT
Stop by our booths #109 (Ovizio) and #74 & #77 (Applikon) to meet us and share your perspectives on our innovative platform. ESACT meeting starts on June 31 and will take place in Barcelona. Meet us.
Ovizio opens new office and state-of-the art R&D laboratories.
Ovizio moved to a new location to support the rapid growth of our activities. Right in the center of Brussels, the new space houses up-to-date R&D laboratories and cell culture equipment to design next live cell-imaging microscopes and support our customers’ applications.
Philip Mathuis invited to present at the Innovation for Growing & Analyzing Cell Lines workshop.
Philip Mathuis will be at the Innovation for Growing & Analyzing Cell Lines workshop sponsored by Pall Life Sciences and taking place at the GIGA Center (CHU, Liège), Tuesday February 10 . The workshop gathers expert speakers experts from the bioprocessing industry. Philip will offer a look into label-free quantitative imaging systems and how they can automate stem cell process control. Contact us to request your free copy of his presentation.
Imaging-in-flow: Digital holographic microscopy as a novel tool to detect and classify nanoplanktonic organisms
- Zetsche, A. El Mallahi, F. Dubois, C. Yourassowsky, J. C. Kromkamp, F.J.R. Meysman,
Limnol. Oceanogr.: Methods 12, 2014, 757-775 © 2014, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.
Nanoplanktonic cells similar in shape were successfully detected and classified from images captured with an off-axis digital holographic microscope with partial coherence and a flow-through system based at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). Morphological and textural features of light intensity images were extracted, as well as textural features of the phase information images, unique to DHM. An overall classification score of 92.4% demonstrated the potential of holographic-based imaging-in-flow to replace flow cytometry and classical brightfield microscopy for the detection of similar looking organisms in the nanoplankton range.
A qMod mounted on a Zeiss Axioplan was used in this study to observe changes of internal cell structures in one of the nanoplanktonic organisms, Chlorella autotrophica, as growth conditions for the culture changed. Phosphate depletion over time in the culture significantly affected the physiology of the cells. Cell detection and feature extraction of images captured with the qMod confirmed that changes occurred within the cells over time, yet that these were minor compared to the differences observed between the three different species. This reiterated the ability of DHM to detect cellular changes and to differentiate species based on the added information gained from phase images.
Figure: False-color rendition of the phase information (optical thickness) from holograms captured with the qMod of (A) cells of the green algae Chlorella autotrophica imaged on day 2 of the phosphate free culturing conditions compared to (B) a cell imaged on day 9 of the experiment when cell physiology was significantly impaired. (Images courtesy of E. Zetsche, unpubl.).
Traditional taxonomic identification of planktonic organisms is based on light microscopy, which is both time-consuming and tedious. In response, novel ways of automated (machine) identification, such as flow cytometry, have been investigated over the last two decades. To improve the taxonomic resolution of particle analysis, recent developments have focused on “imaging-in-flow,” i.e., the ability to acquire microscopic images of planktonic cells in a flow-through mode. Imaging-in-flow systems are traditionally based on classical brightfield microscopy and are faced with a number of issues that decrease the classification performance and accuracy (e.g., projection variance of cells, migration of cells out of the focus plane). Here, we demonstrate that a combination of digital holographic microscopy (DHM) with imaging-in-flow can improve the detection and classification of planktonic organisms. In addition to light intensity information, DHM provides quantitative phase information, which generates an additional and independent set of features that can be used in classification algorithms. Moreover, the capability of digitally refocusing greatly increases the depth of field, enables a more accurate focusing of cells, and reduces the effects of position variance. Nanoplanktonic organisms similar in shape were successfully classified from images captured with an off-axis DHM with partial coherence. Textural features based on DHM phase information proved more efficient in separating the three tested phytoplankton species compared with shape-based features or textural features based on light intensity. An overall classification score of 92.4% demonstrates the potential of holographic-based imaging-in-flow for similar looking organisms in the nanoplankton range. © 2014, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.
El Mallahi, A., Minetti, C., & Dubois, F. (2013). Automated three-dimensional detection and classification of living organisms using digital holographic microscopy with partial spatial coherent source: Application to the monitoring of drinking water resources. Applied Optics, 52(1), A68-A80.
Yourassowsky, C., & Dubois, F. (2014). High throughput holographic imaging-in-flow for the analysis of a wide plankton size range. Optics Express, 22(6), 13. doi:DOI:10.1364/OE.22.006661
Philip Mathuis leading a discussion group on automating label-free process control at ISCT 2014
Philip Mathuis was selected by the International Society for Cell Therapy (ISCT) to lead a discussion group at their annual congress taking place in Paris. The discussion adressed the use of innovative label-free quantitive imaging for automated process control. The session followed a workshop entitled “Introduction to the Benefits and Pitfalls of Multi-Colour Flow Cytometry and Cell Analysis”. The aim of the Workshop was to give an introduction and update of recent flow-cytometry and cell analysis technologies, with particular emphasis on Quality Control and setup for cell therapy applications.