Robotic cell culture system for stem cell assays

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the advantages of a robotic time-lapsed microscopic imaging system for tracking stem cells in in vitro biological assays which measure stem cell activities. Design/methodology/approach - The unique aspects of the system include robotic movement of stem cell culture flasks which enables selection of a large number of regions of interest for data collection. Numerous locations of a cell culture flask can be explored and selected for time-lapsed analysis. The system includes an environmentally controlled chamber to maintain experimental conditions including temperature, gas levels, and humidity, such that stem cells can be tracked by visible and epifluorescence imaging over extended periods of time. Findings - This is an extremely unique system for both individual cell tracking and cell population tracking in real-time with high-throughput experimental capability. In comparison to a conventional manual cell culture and assay approach, this system provides stem cell biologists with the ability to quantify numerous and unique temporal changes in stem cell populations, this drastically reduces man-hours, consumes fewer laboratory resources and provides standardization to biological assays. Research limitations/implications - Fundamental basic biology questions can be addressed using this approach. Practical implications - Stem cells are often available only in small numbers - due both to their inherent low frequency in the post-natal tissue as compared to somatic cells, and their slow growth rates. The unique capabilities of this robotic cell culture system allow for the study of cell populations which are few in number. Originality/value - The robotic time-lapsed imaging system is a novel approach to stem cell research.