Reliable, Noise-Free Vacuum for Cell Culture Applications

INTEGRA has published a new video testimonial in which researchers at the Institute for Clinical Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) describe the benefits of using the VACUSAFE Laboratory Aspiration System to provide simple, reliable and safe aspiration of cell culture supernatents.

The Technische Universität München, or Technical University of Munich (TUM), is a research university with campuses in Munich, Garching and Freising-Weihensstephan, Germany. The TUM is one of the most research-focused universities in Europe and has been ranked 11th in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2014. The TUM features a strong, characteristic profile in the fields of Science and Engineering. Alongside the traditional key areas addressed by technical universities, powerful links have been also established with the life sciences, ranging from nutrition and food sciences, biotechnology and bioinformatics through to medicine. Much of its innovative research and teaching has emerged from collaborations between the disciplines.

In the published video interview* Dr. Olaf Groß, head of the research group at the TUM Institute of Clinical Chemistry, explains “The VACUSAFE has proven a very reliable system for safe aspiration of cell cultures. We particularly like that the system operates with minimal noise and that the versatile VACUBOY adapter enables us to remove liquids from almost any vessel whilst maintaining sterility”.

The VACUSAFE is a dedicated stand-alone product for the convenient and safe disposal of almost any biological liquid waste. The VACUSAFE has a range of important safety features including a dependable liquid level sensor to prevent overfilling of the shatterproof waste bottle, an easy-to-replace hydrophobic filter that blocks potentially dangerous aerosols from entering the laboratory workspace and fully autoclavable components to protect you from biohazards. For total containment of hazardous liquids, the compact VACUSAFE includes an integrated pump with vacuum control thereby eliminating the risk of contaminating house vacuum pipelines and reducing environmental impact caused by evaporation of volatile elements). The air outlet can be connected to silicon tubing to direct exhaust air into a safety hood or through an additional HEPA filter to produce a totally closed system. Self-closing quick connectors prevent the escape of drops or aerosols when disconnected the waste bottle and tubing. A sturdy handle makes the carrying and emptying of the VACUSAFE waste bottle really simple and effortless.

Operating the VACUSAFE is straightforward – simply switch on, set the desired vacuum and start working. The integrated pump is switched off automatically when the vacuum is established in the bottle and is switched on again when the vacuum is used – this way unnecessary noise is avoided and the pump’s lifetime increased. With a wide range of VACUBOY adapters included - removal of liquids is possible from virtually any container or microplate.