CASY Cell Counter & Analyzer
Revolutionizing Cell Counting & Analysis with Precision and Efficiency
The CASY Cell Counter & Analyzer leads the field of cell counting technology, offering unparalleled precision and efficiency. Designed for the demanding throughput and biological diversity needs of modern laboratories, this state-of-the-art instrument provides accurate, reliable, and rapid cell and microbe counting and analysis, enabling scientists to accelerate groundbreaking research and results.
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Proven
With hundreds of publications and installations, CASY has established itself as a trusted tool in the scientific community. -
Versatile Sample Compatibility
Able to count large stem cell aggregates to PBMCS to small yeast or bacteria. -
Accurate Cell Counting and Viability Assessment in Seconds
Utilizes cutting-edge technology to offer precise cell counts and viability assessments, ensuring data integrity for your research. -
Accurate Aggregate Discrimination
Uses mathematical volume-based aggregate discrimination, which is superior to visual methods. -
Minimal Sample Preparation
Requires no dyes or reagents for cell counting, preserving sample integrity and reducing consumable costs. -
Meets Regulatory Needs
GMP/GLP Compliant, optional 21CFR Part 11 module available -
Advanced Data Management
Integrates seamlessly with laboratory information systems (LIS), offering easy data export, storage, and analysis for enhanced decision-making.
CASY Provides the Solution
Uses & Applications
Know your PBMCs
There are probably millions of PBMCs globally prepared from donor blood every day. The quality is however not only influenced by the selected separation media. It is very well known, that the composition also depends largely on the donor of the blood. The ratio between lymphocytes and monocytes can vary significantly between donors. Understanding these differences has a significant impact on the succes of the next steps performed with the PMBCs.
The overlay shows how dramatically the total amount of lymphocytes and monocytes may vary from donor to donor. While the amount is balanced (red) in some cases, it may show a significantly higher amount of monocytes (blue) or lymphocytes (yellow).
- Total concentration of cells
- Counts/ml of lymphocytes and monocytes
- Share of different cell types in %
- and more
Track T cell activation
During T cell activation, cell proliferation and increases in volume are two critical parameters that CASY tracks very precisely at the same time. In the example below, human CD4 T Cells were stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 Dynabeads.
“Normal” cluster formation and cell size distribution during CD4 T cell stimulation. (Top) Cluster formation in the initial phase of activation of human CD4 T cells. (Bottom) CD4 T cells increased their cell size from 8 μm in freshly isolated quiescent T cells (green line) to 10 μm after 24 h (blue line) and finally to 12 μm after 48 h of stimulation (red line).
Cluster formation and cell size development can change significantly under different metabolic conditions like the absence of glucose (A) or in the presence of lactic acid (B).
Whatever the impact, CASY will not only provide an accurate cell number, but you can also precisely analyze changes in volume.
iPSC - flexible handling, full control
CASY will change the way you work with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Like for other types of samples, no special sample preparation is required. In the case of iPSCs, this is truer than ever before. Choose trypsin, Accutase, EDTA or maybe another method – CASY will count your cells independent of the level of aggregation. Moreover, Mean Size and Mean Volume make the level of aggregation measurable.
So, stop torturing your cells while preparing them for other counting methods – start using CASY.
Human iPSC have been prepared with Trypsin (orange), Accutase (yellow) and EDTA (red). The level of aggregation is visible easily. Volume based aggregation correction allows counting them with the same easy to use template and to provide robust accurate and reproducible results.
Primary Cells – not a challenge
Samples of primary cells often contain much debris, dead cells or even other cell types. CASY Cell Counter and Analyzer will help you to overcome issues, making counting easy. In the example shown, the measurement of freshly isolated human endothelial cells was compared with a measurement after the first passage. Even when the fresh material was containing much debris, dead cells and viable cells were much more heterogeneous, counting is not a problem and results are reliable and reproducible.
Insect cell / Baculovirus – stop before they burst
During baculovirus infection the cell volume of SF9 cells changes significantly. Before infection (red) cells are about 15µm in diameter. During infection, cells (green) grow to sizes of 19µm or more.
CASY Counter and Analyzer is not only able to measure the change in volume. CASY also allows to standardize the process so that infection can be stopped before cells burst.
Erythrocytes and Platelets
Erythrocytes are the most dominant cell type in fresh blood (orange) and show a peak at about 5.1µm in the case presented. Stills CASY can detect populations of active and inactive platelets in fresh blood. After centrifugation platelets remain (blue) and can be detected separately.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
One of the most common commercial uses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is brewing beer. Knowing the exact number of cells and their viability are two very critical parameters in the process, but not easy to obtain. Many breweries rely on CASY throughout the process.
- CASY works with bottom fermenting and free-floating yeast
- CASY reliably determines cell concentration and viability
- CASY detection is not impacted by trub
- CASY can warn you like in case of contamination with wild yeast or petite mutations
CASY will detect and the overlay can make the visible smallest changes. In this case, normal lager yeast (green) is compared to a sample which was obtained after a wild yeast infection (red).
If you are working with Candida albicans or Candida glabrata or something related, contact us to learn more or ask for a demo.
Algae – watch them bud
Raphidocelis subcapitata is a sweet water algae that is used in environmental testing. Growth and budding can be synchronized by light. CASY allows for precise following of the budding process.
R. subcapitata has a cell size of 6µm and each mother cell buds into 4 daughter cells. As budding begins, increasing numbers of single daughter cells appear. The budding continues over a time period of 4 to 5 hours, increasing the number of single buds. In parallel, the mother cells at 6µm almost completely disappear.
In some cases CASY can be used in an indirect way: In this lab, the amount of algae provided as food for Daphnia needed to be standardized. The appetite of Daphnia correlates with water quality. Therefore CASY was used to measure the initial amount of algae and what was left after one hour.
Cultivating bacteria in despair?
Bacteria grow rapidly and the cell number doubles often in 20 min or less. Counting them can be a real challenge and results are normally not precise or accurate.
Commonly used plating needs a long time until a result is at hand and the accuracy is very limited. One of the problems is that the number of bacteria counted often does not reflect a representative sample due to the high concentration of cells in culture. Alternative methods like measuring optical density (OD) only provide a rough idea of the concentration range.
If you are looking for a fast and precise way to count your bacteria, try CASY. Normally, within 45 seconds CASY will count up to 50,000 cells and provide a precise cell number.
Besides E. coli (top) and B. subtillis a huge number of other different bacteria have already been successfully counted using CASY:
| A | Leptospira interrogans | Salmonella thyphimurium |
|---|---|---|
| Acinetobacter baylyi | M | Serratia marcescens |
| Aeromonas salmonicida | Malikia spinosa | Shimwellia blattae |
| Alcaligenes faecalis | Mycobacterium smegmatis | Staphylococcus capitis |
| B | N | Staphylococcus aureus |
| Bacillus atrophaeus | Neisseria canis | Staphylococcus carnosus |
| Bacillus cereus | P | Staphylococcus epidermidis |
| Bacillus subtilis | Pasteurella aerogenes | Staphylococcus gallinarium |
| Bacteroides ovatus | Pasteurella multocida | Staphylococcus saprophyticus |
| Bordetella petrii | Providencia heimbachae | Staphylococcus simulans |
| C | Prteus myxofaciens | Staphylococcus xylosus |
| Comamonas acidovorans | Pseudomonas aeruginosa | Streptomyces spectabilis |
| Comamonas testosteronii | Pseudomonas chloraphis | Synechococcus elongatus |
| E | Pseudomonas fluorescens | Streptomyces spectabilis |
| Edwarsiella hoshinae | Pseudomonas monteilii | V |
| Enterobacter cloacae | Pseudomonas mosselii | Vibrio anguillarum |
| Erwinia aphidicola | Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes | Vibrio parahaemolyticus |
| Escherichia Coli | Pseudomonas putida | Y |
| K | Pseudomonas stutzerii | Yersina bercovieri |
| Klebsiella pneumoniae | R | Yersinia ruckeri |
| Kluyvera georgiana | Rahnella aquatilis | |
| L | S | |
| Lactobacillus | Salmonella sp. |
Fungi spores
Ever wondered whether you have haploid and diploid spores?
Volume based size measurement is very precise and allows to discriminate between haploid (yellow) and diploid (orange) spores from Aspergillus niger. CASY measures many other spores too, just try it!
How to improve counting pollen
The answer is simple – use CASY.
A complete workflow was recently published by Kakui et al. and is available for download. CASY provides precise counts for pollen. Even more, CASY can distinguish between pollen of different size or between fully- and undeveloped pollen.
Trypanosoma or Leishmania
How to measure something with a flagellum, like Leishmania?
CASY can do!
CASY’s unique Pulse Field Area technology, detecting cells with 1MHZ while passing the pore, is the basis for the precise detection and exact volume-based size determination of elongated cells even if they carry a flagellum. Leishmania in promastigote stage is a good example and not a challenge for CASY.
How it Works
CASY counts not with a flat image, but with three dimensions – offering a true representation of life! CASY also counts cells using Electronic Current Exclusion (ECE) and Pulse Field Analysis to enable the accurate determination of viability without any influence by other variables such as staining or focusing. Viable cells with full cell volume are detected as the cell membrane provides a barrier for current, while dead cells with no membrane resistance have their nucleus detected.
CASY measures the conductivity between two electrodes separated by a defined pore. Cells are suspended in CASYton, a defined buffer solution. Cells pass through the pore and generate an electrical pulse that correlates with the volume of the cell with GMP/GLP compliant precision, allowing a maximum variation below ±2%.
Aggregation – not a problem
As CASY determines the volume of each cell with a precision of ±2%, it does the same with aggregates. Unlike optical measurements, which either ignore aggregates or tries to draw some rings into rather low contrast images of them, CASY uses a mathematically correct, volume-based aggregation correction. Basically, CASY will see how often a single cell fits into each detected aggregate. Mean volume and size even indicate changes in the level of aggregation, for example with induced Pluripotent Stem cells (iPSC).
