Determining Cell Number During Cell Culture using the Scepter Cell Counter

The scepter cell counter is a handheld automated device for counting cells monitoring cell diameter and volume, and checking the health and quality of cellular populations. It offers significant advantages over other counting methods, including improved accuracy, ease of use, and low cost to count cells. Using the scepter, follow the instructions on its graphical display to aspirate cells into the disposable sensor.

The cells are then counted and the device reports cell concentrations and statistics, which can be uploaded to a computer and analyzed. Hi, I am Sonya. I'm a research scientist here at Millport, and today I'm gonna show you how to use the scepter.

Cell counter Counting cells is a necessary but tedious step for in vitro cell culture. Consistent cell concentrations ensure experimental reproducibility and accuracy. Cell counts are important for monitoring cell health and proliferation rate, assessing immortal or transformation seeding cells for subsequent experiments, transfection or infection, and preparing for cell-based assays despite the need for speed and accuracy.

In cell counting, 71%of 400 researchers surveyed count cells using a hemo cytometer. While hemo cytometry is inexpensive, it is laborious and subject to user bias and misuse, which results in inaccurate counts. Sources of error in hemo cytometry include uneven cell distribution in the sample, too many or too few cells in the sample.

Subjective decisions as to whether a given cell falls within the defined counting area. Contamination of the hemo cytometer, user tous variation and variation of hemo cytometer filling rate to alleviate the tedium associated with manual counting. 29%of researchers count cells using automated cell counting devices.

However, for most researchers, the price associated with these large benchtop instruments is a barrier to their use. The scepter cell counter is an automated handheld device that offers the automation and accuracy of coter counting at a relatively low cost in an easy to use handheld format. The system employs the Coter principle of impedance based particle detection in a miniaturized format using a combination of analog and digital hardware for sensing signal processing, data storage, and graphical display.

The disposable sensor is engineered with a micro fabricated cell sensing zone that enables discrimination by cell size and cell volume at submicron and sub picoliter resolution enhanced with precision liquid handling channels and electronics. The scepter cell counter graphically displays cell population statistics as a histogram to use. The scepter cell counter begin by diluting a single cell suspension of cells in phosphate buffered saline.

A concentration of 10, 000 to 500, 000 cells per milliliter is optimal. Transfer 100 microliters of diluted cells to a 1.5 milliliter microview tube tube. Turn on the scepter cell counter by pressing and holding the toggle on the back of the instrument and wait for the onscreen instructions to appear.

When prompted, attach a sensor to the end of the scepter unit with the electrode sensing panel facing toward the front of the instrument. Scepter sensors consist of a precision molded sampling chamber with an electronic sensing zone and integrated cell sensing electrodes. The sensors make it possible to discriminate cell size at submicron resolution and cell volume at sub picoliter resolution.

Consistent sensor engineering ensures that equal sample volumes are counted and accurate size measurements are made. Once the sensor is attached, perform each step of the counting process according to the onscreen instructions as follows. When the screen reads, hold down the plunger to begin to press the plunger, the screen will then read submerge the sensor, submerge the sensor into the cell suspension solution, and release the plunger to aspirate the cell suspension into the sensor.

The plunger acts as an electrical signal and will draw the sample plus dead volume into the sensor. The speed or accuracy of plunging does not matter as it does with pipetting. This process will take several seconds when ready.

The instrument will beep and sample loaded will be displayed on the screen. Once the sample is loaded into the sensor, it is drawn through the sensing zone to assess cell size and cell volume. Then through the microchannels, once 50 microliters of sample is counted, the sensor tells the instrument to stop counting.

After the count is complete, the instrument screen will read count complete. Please remove sensor and discard. Follow the prompt and remove and discard the sensor.

The instrument will then display a histogram of cell size or diameter on its screen, as well as the cell concentration per milliliter. After the count is complete and the histogram is displayed on the instrument, apply gates by pushing the toggle button, select auto gating or use last to either automatically set the gate based on the histogram profile or to use the gates from the previous count. Regardless of the selection, the gates can be manually moved to fine.

Tune the data, push the toggle button again to select the left gate and scroll the toggle to move the gate as desired. Then press the toggle again to activate the right gate and scroll the toggle to place the right gate. Click again.

A new cell concentration, average cell volume and diameter will be displayed. The toggle can also be to either side to switch the display between date time, mean cell size, and mean cell volume up to 72 histograms can be stored on the instrument itself. To upload the data to a personal computer, attach the instrument via the USB cable port, on the display screen on the pc.

Double click on the scepter software application to launch the software. Then click on connect. All counts will automatically port to the software.

The scepter application software displays the histogram detailing the population distribution of the culture in either volume or diameter. Downloaded files can then be exported to Microsoft Excel, where the raw data will be displayed in bins of specified cell diameters or cell volumes. 19 different cell lines were prepared for counting and theoretical starting concentrations were determined using aculter counter.

These cell suspensions were then further diluted to obtain cell suspensions at theoretical cell concentrations. The scepter cell counter was then used to determine cell concentrations. This figure shows five dilution that were measured for five representative cell lines along with the theoretical cell concentration.

The high degree of linearity, as indicated by the r-squared values, demonstrates that scepter counting is a reliable method for the cell lines tested across a wide linear operating range. The overall relative accuracy of scepter counting is demonstrated here in which data obtained from scepter counting are compared with counts obtained from coter counting. The log of scepter cell counts is plotted against the log of coter counts and shows that across all cell lines tested scepter counts match coter counts.

Counts of 19 cell lines were performed using a Z two coulter counter. The scepter cell counter, an automated vision-based counter, such as V cell or count test system, and a hemo TER counts were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions using the same cell starting suspension and identical dilutions. Results shown in this figure demonstrate that cell concentrations measured by scepter counting closely match theoretical cell concentrations with high linearity.

The percent coefficient of variation or CV was calculated for each dilution of each cell line. For each counting system shown here are the average percent CVS over 19 cell lines with respect to cell concentration and counting method within the operating range. The scepter cell counter is more precise than hemo cytometer counting, displaying smaller standard deviations and smaller average coefficients of variation.

Scepter counting is 10 times faster than hemo cytometry and faster than other automated counters too. Here SF nine, MCF seven and HC 2 93 cells were counted using the methods described in this video. The average time required to measure cell concentration was recorded.

Note that hemo cytometry was performed only once per sample. Scepter makes measurements based on cell size. Thus, any changes in cellular morphology can be captured in the histogram.

Healthy cultures display a nice bell-shaped Gaussian distribution while unhealthy cells lice and cause a shift in the histogram to the left. Similarly, when a population of 50%dead cells were mixed with 50%live cells histogram shifts were also observed. I've just shown you how to use the new scepter cell counter for millipore, which is revolutionizing the way that researchers count their cells.