Cellular studies are revolutionized with the launch of new software from Carl
Zeiss that automatically extracts biologically relevant data from micrographs
by combining high-resolution fluorescence imaging and complex image analysis.
Developed with the high content screening specialist, Cellomics®, the AxioVision
ASSAYbuilder module inherits 15 years of experience in the field of High-Content
Analysis (HCA) to offer the most reliable method of high content analysis and
screening.
ASSAYbuilder supports the examination of processes in cells, between cells
or in small organisms and will be especially useful in studies such as apoptosis,
cytotoxicity, molecule localisation and translocation, cell differentiation
and proliferation, GFP expression, and GPCR signal pathways. For example, users
can analyse the position of the cytoskeleton or determine the proportion of
living and dead cells in a sample. Furthermore, it allows the characterization
of cell cultures, the identification of new cellular starting points for the
development of future medication, and the identification of lead substances
in small or medium screenings in pharmaceutical research.
The ease-of-use designed into ASSAYbuilder means that researchers can concentrate
on efficiently planning further experiments and publishing their results rather
than having to become expert at the fundamentals of image analysis. However,
the software module is sufficiently powerful to cope with even highly sophisticated
requirements, such as subpopulation analyses. Depending on the biological task
being faced, the ASSAYbuilder platform can be expanded with up to five “Analysts”:
- Physiology Analyst– for processes within or between subcellular compartments
- Morphology Analyst– for morphological parameters of a cell, cell
cluster orr small organism
- Cell Cycle Analyst – for automatic determination of cell cycle phases
- Membrane Analyst – to determine the colocalisation of signals within
the cell
- Motility Analyst – to measure cell movements.
ASSAYbuilder is compatible with almost all inverted or upright ZEISS imaging
systems and stereomicroscopes from Carl Zeiss and other AxioVision software
modules. Automated hardware, such as motorised microscope stages, permits the
setup of a screening station which can also be designed as a living cell screening
station by using incubation components.