Olympus upgrades its ‘Cutting Edge’ laser microdissection systems

Olympus has announced an upgrade to its benchmark CellCut laser microdissection system with MMI CapLift technology. The CellCut Plus features a new single or multi-position plug & play automated CapLift with adjustable contact pressure and offers full access to all motorised functions of the IX81. The CellCamera ultra high sensitivity digital camera series has been added, which includes a specialist black and white camera for top-end fluorescence research. The UVCut Plus software has also been updated to exploit these new features and offers an advanced Predefined Target Positioning (PTP) collection method.

The Olympus CellCut Plus is designed for life science professionals undertaking molecular biological analyses in a wide variety of fields. Interfaced with the manual Olympus IX71 and fully motorised IX81 inverted microscopes and using UV laser and unique patented isolation technologies, CellCut Plus ensures the fast, reliable and precise dissection and manipulation of paraffin and frozen tissue sections, and even smears and cell cultures. Based on the unique CapLift isolation technology and peerless MembraneSlide sandwiches the CellCut Plus eliminates any direct specimen contact, thereby ensuring totally contamination-free samples and isolated extracts.

The CellCut Plus is a highly versatile research level system which, with the new CellCamera, delivers outstanding image quality for the quick and easy pinpointing of cells for isolation. As many single cells or groups of cells as required can be identified, by simply drawing freehand or via predefined geometric shapes using intuitive operating software and a Pen Touch monitor. Selected cells or even cell compartments are then cut out automatically using a high-precision picosecond pulsed UV laser.

Due to the unique optical bench design of the Olympus IX2 inverted microscopes, coupling of the UV cutting laser is achieved without limiting any fluorescence applications. Six fluorescence filter modules are available as standard, and can be used and fine tuned according to users’ specific needs and requirements.

The solid-state, diode pumped UV laser at 355nm ensures with picosecond pulses complete stability and provides exceptional cutting accuracy, as it is focused through the Olympus UIS2 objective to a beam spot size of less than 1µm. In addition, since laser cutting is a highly precise ablative process it produces a totally clean break between the required sample and surrounding tissue. A high power solid state laser is also available on request for plant and other specialised tissue types

Specimens are mounted on a membrane-covered frame and a glass slide placed underneath. This exclusive MembraneSlide sandwich effectively protects the sample against impurities in the environment, which is particularly crucial for any application involving DNA, or even RNA extraction, where it is essential to minimise contamination.

Microdissected samples are cleanly removed using the unique patented IsolationCap which has the key advantage of adjustable contact pressure. The cap rests on the membrane and has no direct contact with the specimen, again effectively avoiding any form of contamination, which is especially important for the most critical samples. In addition, only the parts of the specimen that have been cut out adhere to the lid. Based on a new Predefined Target Positioning (PTP) function, customers are now able to individually position the microdissected and isolated targets within the isolation cap., helping in the proofing of the quality and quantity of the extracted material. For higher throughput of extracted targets, a MultiCap collecting unit together with MultiSlide functionality are also available. The MultiSlide option permits the simultanuous use of up to 3 membrane-mounted samples, while MultiCap encompasses a strip of up to 8 different IsolationCaps. Together with the motorised control of objectives and z- drive functions, fluorescence and condenser turret, as well as individual light intensity settings, the CellCut Plus system provides a new user-friendly standard for automation in laser microdissection.

Another key advantage of CellCut is its sophisticated, yet easy to use CellCut plus software. Its intuitive graphical user interface provides access to the control of all specific laser microdissection functions, as well as practical process and scanning routines. Multiuser handling and multi grouping of selected targets is also possible. The software also ensures full documentation of all processes by creating a picture and text file with every new slide or microdissection job. As an optional extra, the CellExplorer image recognition software package will automatically recognise and cut out specific targets set and defined by the user, such as fluorescently labelled cells or components.

The CellCut Plus systems can be upgraded with the additional CellManipulator optical tweezer system, which allows contact free manipulation of microscopically small particles. With an intensely focussed beam from an additional YAG type infrared laser, up to 10 different microscopic particles can be held, rotated and stretched in conjunction with the measurement of binding forces or intracellular viscosities.

Together with the unique and cost effective SmartCut Plus system, the CellCut Plus enables Olympus to offer a new laser microdissection product family for all uses from educational routine to the most sophisticated research application. This provides customers with solutions fine tuned to their individual needs and budgets.