FluidFM for Neuroscience Pattern, stimulate, inject into, and analyze single neurons - Medical / Health Care - Clinical Services

FromCytosurge AG

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FluidFM® for Neuroscience - revise your approach of single neurons manipulation!A key feature of neurons is that they communicate with each other and with their environment. Nevertheless, analyzing and understanding these interactions at a single cell level remains a key challenge in cellular neurobiology. By uniting the best features of microfluidics and force microscopy and using different force-controlled probes, FluidFM provides an ideal tool for researchers with a wide range of methods; from controlled patterned growth to single cell manipulation, stimulation, and analysis in a gentle manner perfectly suited for sensitive cells such as neurons.

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Pattern
Define where axons shall grow

Pick & Place
Build micro-brains by creating neuronal networks

Stimulate
Apply neurotransmitters anywhere on the neuron

Inject
Deliver CRISPR complexes directly into the nucleus

Observe
Track your manipulated neuron over time

Analyze
Extract cellular content while keeping the neuron intact and alive

Create your neuronal network

The FluidFM ability to pick cells and place them at a specifically chosen location combined with its unique patterning method allows to create neuronal networks with precision and reproducibility. Control axon growth towards the cell of your choice and establish customized cellular interactions to study how neurons communicate with each other at a molecular level.

Stimulate, inject into, and observe single neurons

Using FluidFM’s force-controlled probes, any soluble compound – for example ions, neurotransmitters, or neurotoxins – and particles like neurotropic viruses can be applied into or on single neurons at distal or proximal end. This makes tedious designs like the Campenot chamber obsolete. The system furthermore tracks the manipulated cells for long-term observation by brightfield and epifluorescence microscopy.

Transfect and genetically engineer single neurons

With FluidFM, proteins and plasmids as well as CRISPR reagents can be directly injected into the nucleus. In comparison to other harsh transfection methods, the gentle insertion of the force feedback-controlled probe keeps the neuron fully viable. This makes FluidFM particularly suited for genetic manipulation of sensitive and hard-to-transfect cells such as neurons, stem cells, or primary cells.

Omics on single neurons

FluidFM enables gentle extraction of content from the cytosol or nucleus of single cells, not affecting cellular viability. Therefore, consecutive extractions from the same cell are possible with FluidFM. This overcomes challenges posed by cellular heterogeneity when interpreting data of time-dependent experiments at a single cell level and opens new applications in transcriptomics and proteomics.