CellRaft AIR® System
Cell Sorter & Colony Picker
- No harsh fluidics are used in the system
- Single cells are maintained in shared media across microwells
- Monoclonal validation is supported by image-based analysis and records
- User-defined colonies of interest are automatically and gently isolated
Overcome these challenges
How CellRaft AIR® System Works
Seed Cells on CellRaft Array
Image Using CellRaft AIR System
Identify Cells of Interest in Software
Automated Isolation to 96-well Plate
Enhanced Cell Outgrowth Compared to Traditional Methods
Poster: Accelerate Cell Line Development by Isolating Monoclonal Colonies, Not Single Cells
Key Questions Answered:
- What is the quickest way to get single cell colonies?
- What is the best way to isolate colonies?
- How can I increase the viability of monoclonal colonies?
- How can I get image-based proof of monoclonality?
Virtual Demo
Rapid Imaging | Software-Guided Identification | Automated Isolation
Watch this demonstration video to understand how this advanced platform can improve cell viability, increase clonal outgrowth, and significantly increase the number of clones for downstream applications.
Who is using CellRaft Technology?
Journal Article: Detection of unintended on-target effects in CRISPR genome editing by DNA donors carrying diagnostic substitutions
Journal Article: A rare human centenarian variant of SIRT6 enhances genome stability and interaction with Lamin A
Journal Article: Pooled image-base screening of mitochondria with microraft isolation distinguishes pathogenic mitofusin 2 mutations
Journal Article: PDS5A and PDS5B differentially affect gene expression without altering cohesin localization across the genome
Journal Article: RNA binding protein SYNCRIP maintains proteostasis and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells
What Customers Say
No more limiting dilution. Grow more colonies. Save time and money.
Development of Monoclonal Cell Lines - Available Technologies and Overcoming Challenges
CellRaft Technology FAQs
How is the CellRaft® technology different from traditional single cell isolation techniques?
Unlike alternative methods, we never need to isolate a single cell into a well by itself. The cells are kept in a flask-like culture environment, which allows the entire population to share a contiguous media volume. This unique feature leads to improved viability and proliferation of single cells. We confirm monoclonality within our array using image-based analysis and isolate monoclonal colonies without any fluidic pressure, which drastically improves post-isolation outgrowth of your clones.
How many single cells does the system isolate at one time?
While you can isolate single cells, we recommend letting single cells grow into colonies prior to isolation. After isolating colonies across the 100 cell lines, we have qualified that the majority of clones can be propagated downstream, so a single 96-well plate can yield multiple cell lines for experimentation. Contact us to find out why monoclonal colony isolation offers significantly better clonal viability compared to single cell isolation.
How many clones does the system generate per array?
While the number of clones can depend on the cell type and any perturbations you perform on the cells prior to cloning, you can be confident that the combination of our array’s optimal growth conditions and the ability to isolate monoclonal colonies will provide you with significantly more viable clones than alternative methods. Most of our customers are generating 100s and even 1000s of viable monoclonal colonies from just one array, ensuring ample opportunity for identifying the best clone, rather than settling for any clone.
How many cells do I need to prepare for the CellRaft AIR® system to create the colonies I need for my research?
Standard sorting and dispensing techniques require growing and working with millions of cells to provide single cell starting points for cell line development. Biology dictates that those single cells will then suffer from the expected low viability since they are isolated from other cells in culture.
Not only does the CellRaft AIR require many less cells for operation (less than 50K on average per array), the proprietary CellRaft allows segregated single cells to maintain flask-like culture conditions on the array until they develop into your validated target of interest. That target is then automatically isolated into a 96-well plate, providing not only a shorter and easier workflow but a significantly larger number of viable targets for your downstream research.
Limiting dilution is time and consumable consuming, but we use it because it works; is there an advantage to using the CellRaft AIR System?
With standard limiting dilution, it can take as much as four weeks to develop a colony that will be exceedingly difficult to track and trace back to its single cell of origin. It will also require many hands-on hours, plastic consumables, and a large volume of media in that process.
The CellRaft AIR system can reduce this workflow by as much as 50% with a standard clone development time of two weeks. This includes imaging and analysis of every clone with visual tracking back to the single cell of origin. The system will also reduce consumable and media usage by more than 80% on average during these standard workflows.
In addition, the CellRaft technology will also allow you to keep your cells in flask-like culture until the colony develops, and then isolate the validated colony. This change in workflow will not only create more healthy culture targets but significantly improve their downstream viability.
What types of cells does the system work with?
We have validated adherent cell lines and suspension cell lines in 2D and 3D models. Over 100 cell types have been validated on the system.
How do I manage the fluidics for the system?
The system does not use any fluidics.
What maintenance does the system require?
The CellRaft AIR System does not require any daily maintenance or cleaning. As with any piece of equipment critical to your work, we recommend one of our annual service contracts, which includes an annual onsite preventative maintenance visit.
How much space does the system take up?
Instrument size: width: 27” | depth: 20” | height: 20”
Bench space required for instrument and computer: width: 40” | depth: 26” | height: 26”
How many fluorescent channels are available in the CellRaft AIR?
The system comes with three fluorescent channels (blue, green, and red) plus brightfield.
Blue DAPI, Hoechst: Excitation 379 – 401 nm | Emission 412 – 453 nm
Green FITC, GFP: Excitation 461 – 489 nm | Emission 498 – 548 nm
Red mCherry, Texas Red: Excitation 559 – 591 nm | Emission 603 – 805 nm
Can I analyze my cells in only brightfield imaging?
Yes. Find more information on analysis capabilities on our CellRaft Cytometry software page.
