Dear OpenFlexure Community,
I am working on a project where I need to get a constant visual feed on the evolution of Hela cells placed inside a co2 incubator.
It looks like the OpenFlexure could really do the job for this project.
Has anyone here done this before ?
Thank you for your help,
All the bests,
@xtrdr OpenFlexure microcopes have been used for cell studies in incubators. @quigly posted some of his experiences on microscopes in incubators for mammalian cells: USB Webcam Lens Spacers and Camera Platforms - #8 by quigly.
I am starting some tests with a cell biology colleague to see where failure modes are in the incubator environment, and whether PET filament stands up better to the temperature.
If you can manage with the equivalent of a 20x objective, and if you don’t need to move the field of view once you have set up a culture, then it is likely that you will not actually need motorisation, and you could even use a USB camera option. The images are not quite as nice, but the system is simpler if you want to run many microscopes at once.
For timelapse image capture or automated motion there is a Blockly scripting app available, or full remote operation through Python.
@WilliamW, thank a lot for you quick answer. I had come across @quigly’s pictures with multiple OFM. It really looks good.
I am not planning on putting the microscope inside the incubator. But for your 3D printing tests, I recommend PETG. Once printed, it shouldn’t melt under 85C. PLA’s limit is around 40-45C. ABS is more tolerant to heat but it smells and particules are coming out of it when you print it. PETG is safer.
In my case, the higher the resolution, the better.
But you are right, once set up, I shouldn’t have to move the microscope anymore. Only the same type of petri dishes will be placed.
Indeed, if the camera is less accurate, I could maybe just use the best 12.7mm optics
that fits the OFM and ask the Raspi to do timelapse image captures automatically every once in while.
Like quigly, I am not using fluorescence. I need to use petri dishes and to capture the cells in motion from the bottom of the dish. Which version of the OFM should I focus on ?
With high resolution you are likely to need motorisation to provide autofocus. The stage is very stable, but with a small depth of field you are likely to drift out of focus during a timelapse.
The most tested version is our standard inverted Microscope with high resolution optics. That version also seems to fit your needs.
Be aware that the current software only supports the Pi camera 2 and a Raspberry Pi 3B or 4B. Neither the new Pi camera module 3, nor the Pi 5 will work.