Cell proliferation and viability

Track cell growth and cytotoxic effects

WHY USE A KINETIC ASSAY?

Cell-based assays enable rapid evaluation of human biology in vitro, with substantial advantages in throughput and cost over tissue or animal models. However, many cell-based assays are endpoint assays, limited to a single snapshot in time. Axion BioSystems' Maestro Z platform now offers impedance-based cell analysis for real-time, continuous, label-free monitoring of your cells. Continuous data reveals the kinetics of cell-cell interactions and cell-drug responses for better mechanistic understanding without the time- and cost-intensive process of repeating multiple endpoint assays.

THE MAESTRO Ƶ ADVANTAGE

Continuous cell monitoring – the Maestro Z system performs noninvasive electrical measurements from the cultured cell population, circumventing the use of dyes/reporters that can perturb your cell model and confound results. Track activity over hours and weeks from the same population of cells label-free and in real-time.

Precise environment – there is no need for an additional cell culture incubator, saving valuable lab space and money. Maestro Z’s smart environmental chamber finely controls heat and CO₂ while rejecting electrical noise and mechanical vibrations.

Probe cell models in the same plate they were cultured in – other higher throughput platforms (e.g. flow cytometry) often require cell samples to be transferred into a single-cell suspension before testing. In the case of adherent cells this is not ideal since they exist as a functional network of interlinked cells. In addition, the cell harvesting process requires numerous handling steps. The Maestro Z system captures real-time cell data while preserving the morphological complexity of your cell model.

It's easy – just culture your cells in a CytoView-Z plate, load your plate into the Maestro Z system, and record your cell data. Axion's data analysis tools will do the rest. The AxIS Z software can even generate the publication-ready graphs you need.

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HOW IT WORKS

Learn how impedance assays work and the innovation behind Axion's products.

Axion Maestro Z impedance assay workflow

OVERVIEW

Getting started with Maestro Z couldn't be easier. Culture your cells in an Axion multiwell CytoView-Z plate [A]. Load this plate into the Maestro Z system and allow the environmental chamber to automatically equilibrate [B]. Analyze changes in cell proliferation, morphology, and viability in the CytoView-Z plate label-free and in real-time with AxIS Z software [C].

Axion Maestro Z impedance cell proliferation viability cytotoxicity assay

WHAT IS IMPEDANCE?

Axion's 96-well CytoView-Z plate has a recording electrode embedded in the culture surface of each well [D]. The Maestro Z platform uses impedance measurements (ohms, Ω) to quantify the presence of cells on the electrode [E]. To measure impedance, small electrical signals are delivered to the electrodes. Cell attachment, spreading, and cell-cell connections block these electrical signals and are detected as an increase in impedance. Impedance is also sensitive to subtle changes in cell conformation, such as those caused by receptor-mediated signaling or cell morphology. Since impedance is non-invasive and label-free, impedance assays can be used to quantify dynamic cellular responses over minutes, hours, and days [F].

Axion Maestro Z impedance electrode recordings cell proliferation cytotoxicity assay

CELLULAR IMPEDANCE RECORDINGS

Impedance measures how much electrical signal (teal-colored arrows) is blocked by the electrode-cell interface [G]. When the electrode is uncovered, electrical signal easily passes (thick arrows) and the impedance is low. When cells cover the electrode, less electrical signal passes (blocked arrows) and impedance is high. When cells die or detach, the impedance decreases back towards baseline [H].

APPLICATIONS

Discover how impedance-based assays are being used to track cell proliferation and cytotoxicity.

CELL PROLIFERATION

Unique functional profile of your cells

Cells grow, attach, and interact differently based on their biological function. Collectively, these properties result in a unique cellular profile. The Maestro Z impedance assay allows you to track this cellular profile, and to distinguish cells based on type, density, morphology, and attachment. The cellular profile can also be used to ensure cell quality and purity, quantify growth rates, and optimize assay timing. All of this information is available without complicated experimental setup or analysis. With the push of a button, the Maestro Z system will maintain environmental control and continuously, non-invasively monitor your cells as long as needed, while providing real-time growth curves and simple endpoint plots.

Axion Maestro Z impedance assay cell proliferation recordings label-free

HeLa cells were seeded into the CytoView-Z plate at varying densities and monitored on the Maestro Z system during the attachment, spreading, and proliferation phases (left, middle). Growth curves for HeLa, A549, and Calu-3 cells illustrate distinct cellular profiles.

CELL VIABILITY

Dynamics of cytotoxicity

When testing a new drug or cell therapy, endpoint assays can tell you whether the cells are dead or alive, but they cannot reveal the dynamics or mechanisms behind the cellular response. With label-free, non-invasive, continuous monitoring, the Maestro Z impedance assay allows you to capture the entire time course of cytotoxicity, revealing not only the degree, but also the dynamics and rate of cell death. Often, the kinetics of the cell response give the most insight into the efficacy and mechanism of a compound.

Axion Maestro Z impedance assay cell viability cytotoxicity doxorubicin recordings label-free

After application of doxorubicin, the impedance measurements revealed the dynamic response of the A549 cells (left, middle). Using on-plate controls for cell growth (No Treatment Control) and cell death (Tergazyme), the percent cytolysis was tracked in real-time throughout the time course of the response.