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Digital microscopy with automated brightfield, fluorescence, and Digital Confocal imaging

 

The ImageXpress® Pico Automated Cell Imaging System is more than a digital microscope, combining high-resolution imaging with powerful analysis. Whether running fluorescence imaging or brightfield assays, the automated imager features a comprehensive portfolio of preconfigured protocols for cell-based assays to shorten the learning curve, so you can start running experiments quickly. With features such as Digital Confocal* 2D on-the-fly deconvolution, Autofocus, Live Preview, multi-wavelength cell scoring, and optional IN Carta® Image Analysis Software workflow, the ImageXpress Pico offers you the ability to advance your discoveries in a small, affordable imager.

  • Get started Icon

    Get started quickly

    With the icon-driven, user-friendly CellReporterXpress® Image Acquisition and Analysis Software, your entire lab can streamline their digital microscopy. Start capturing and analyzing images with minimal training.

  • Scalable Icon

    Do more than cell counting

    Expand your assays with over 25 preconfigured templates optimized for many cell-based experiments including apoptosis, mitochondrial evaluation, 3D cell models, live cell/timelapse, multiwavelength cell scoring, and neurite tracing.

  • Cost Effective Icon

    Automate imaging affordably

    Alleviate the hassle of going to the core lab to run your samples. The system’s lab-friendly price allows researchers to afford the convenience of automated imaging and analysis on their lab bench. With options like Digital Confocal, environmental control and z-stack acquisition, the system can be ordered to fit your research.

ImageXpress Pico Automated Imaging

ImageXpress Pico Automated Imaging System Virtual Tour

Features

  • Expandable Icon

    Multiple imaging modes

    The ImageXpress Pico system offers objectives ranging from 4x to 63x and can operate in colorimetric, brightfield, fluorescence, or Digital Confocal 2D on-the-fly deconvolution imaging modes.

  • Protocols Icon

    Preconfigured analysis protocols

    Over 25 preconfigured analysis protocols ranging from simple cell counting to sophisticated neurite tracing analysis. With features like the click-to-find tool, analysis parameters can be optimized by simply clicking on a few cells that match specific criteria.

  • Accuracy Icon

    Plate-to-individual cell view

    Data can be visualized at multiple levels from plate overview to individual cells. A wide variety of data visualization tools from the plate and cellular level empower users to learn as much as possible from their images and assays.

  • Analysis Icon

    Z-stack acquisition

    Generate sharper images for more accurate segmentation using z-stack acquisition. Acquire a series of images at different focal points to capture more detail than with a single slice. Users can include all slices or select which slices to include in the final projection.

  • Workflow Icon

    Quickly and easily identify regions of interest

    Live Preview simplifies identification of regions of interest, letting users pan around the sample and interactively adjust focus with a virtual joystick, saving time and effort.

  • Environmental Control Icon

    Environmental control

    Multi-day, time lapse, and live cell assays can be run using the onboard environmental system with options for humidity, CO2, and O2 control. Optimized to prevent z-drift, the software also provides real-time monitoring of environmental state, ensuring optimal assay conditions.

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Experience the powerful combination of the ImageXpress Pico and CellReporterXpress

CellReporterXpress software for ImageXpress Pico

Easy-to-learn software optimized for automated digital microscopy

A simple, easy-to-learn interface for performing quantitative analysis on images acquired from automated microscopy with features such as Digital Confocal 2D real-time deconvolution, Autofocus and Live Preview for advanced region of interest identification. The software enables distributed analysis of images for increased throughput and is ideal for scaling your digital microscopy imaging with slides or microplates. An icon-driven, linear workflow with a range of predefined protocols provides a streamlined user experience.

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IN Carta® Image Analysis Software

Go from assay to insights quickly and reliably

Guided workflows and scalable batch processing increase productivity and reduce time to answer. Experiments can be set up quickly and computational resources can run analysis of multiple wells in parallel efficiently. Machine learning helps you leverage more information and increase accuracy in the analysis of high-content screening data to enable new discoveries with confidence.

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Tailored laboratory automation solutions with robotics, incubators, and software

The research environment is constantly changing and today’s scientists require simplified remote access and enhanced laboratory automation. Increased productivity, reduced costs, and consistent performance are all available when combining the ImageXpress® Pico Automated Cell Imaging System with the S-LAB™ plate handler from PAA, and the SCILA incubator from Inheco*.

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ImageXpress Pico Automated Imaging

See the Automated ImageXpress Pico workflow in action

Latest Resources

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3D Imaging Seminar Series: Fast and simple 3D spheroid analysis using automated high-content imaging

Videos & Webinars

3D Imaging Seminar Series: Fast and simple 3D spheroid analysis using automated high-content imaging

Learn more
Automation of 3D organoid culture workflow with deep-learning based image analysis

Scientific Poster

Automation of 3D organoid culture workflow with deep-learning based image analysis

3D cell culture as a model system is increasingly popular because it recapitulates the in vivo microenvironment better than 2D cell cultures. Organoids have the capacity…

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Targeted therapy of human leukemia xenografts in immunodeficient zebrafish

Citations

Targeted therapy of human leukemia xenografts in immunodeficient zebrafish

Personalized medicine holds tremendous promise for improving safety and efficacy of drug therapies by optimizing treatment regimens. Rapidly developed patient-derived…

Learn more
Innovation at Molecular Devices: Updates in Automated, High-Content Imaging

Blog

Innovation at Molecular Devices: Updates in Automated, High-Content Imaging

From customer feedback to workflow improvements The path to understanding complex biological processes and diseases is paved with a lot of challenges. As the desired…

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Stem cell science insights and breakthroughs presented at #ISSCR2021

Blog

Stem cell science insights and breakthroughs presented at #ISSCR2021

If you didn't get a chance to visit us at our poster sessions during ISSCR 2021, don’t fret. We've gathered all our sessions right here for you. The ISSCR Annual Meeting…

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CellReporterXpress Image Acquisition and Analysis Software

Brochure

CellReporterXpress Image Acquisition and Analysis Software

The CellReporterXpress® Automated Image Acquisition and Analysis Software works with the ImageXpress® Pico Automated Cell Imaging System. It has a clean, easy-to-learn…

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Transform your cell imaging

eBook

Transform your cell imaging

From endpoint and live-cell imaging applications to imaging and analyzing 2D monolayers, 3D cell models, and organ-on-a-chip platforms, the world of cellular imaging is…

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Project Profile: Organoid Innovation Center

Publications

Project Profile: Organoid Innovation Center

Lab Manager speaks to Dan O’Connor, vice president, drug discovery, Molecular Devices, about the company’s Organoid Innovation Center in San Jose, CA. The center is 180…

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In vitro platform for high-throughput screening of neurons enables automation of neurotoxicity assays

Scientific Poster

In vitro platform for high-throughput screening of neurons enables automation of neurotoxicity assays

Our first-in-class automated 7-factor neuronal profiling assay enables comprehensive quantitative description of neuronal health. NeuroHTS™ maximizes the capacity of…

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Applications of ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System

  • Apoptosis Analysis

    Apoptosis Analysis

    Apoptosis is a process of programmed cell death important to a number of biological processes including embryonic development and normal tissue maintenance. Disruption in the regulation of apoptosis has been implicated in various diseases including cancer. Biochemical events lead to characteristic changes in cell morphology such as cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and mRNA decay, and ultimately cell death. Apoptosis can be initiated via the intrinsic or extrinsic pathways, and both pathways induce cell death by activating caspase enzymes

    Read More  

    Cancer Research

    Cancer Research

    Cancer researchers need tools that enable them to more easily study the complex and often poorly understood interactions between cancerous cells and their environment, and to identify points of therapeutic intervention. Learn about instrumentation and software that facilitate cancer research using, in many cases, biologically relevant 3D cellular models like spheroids, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip systems that simulate the in vivo environment of a tumor or organ.

    Learn More  

  • Cardiomyocytes

    Cardiomyocytes

    Stem cells differentiated into cardiomyocytes are used to screen early for potential toxicological effects of drugs, thus helping to avoid investment in development of drugs which will fail in clinical trials due to cardiac toxicity.

    Cell Counting

    Cell Proliferation

    Cell counting is fundamental and critical to numerous biological experiments. Assays such as drug compound toxicity, cell proliferation, and inhibition of cell division have a need to assess the number or density of cells in a well. Automated imaging can greatly speed up the cell counting process while reducing manual labor and human errors. Cells can be counted using a variety of methods, such as label-free cell counting under transmitted light or detection of nuclear dye with fluorescent imaging.

    Read More  

  • COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Research

    COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Research

    Here we've addressed common applications in infectious disease research including cell line development, binding affinity, viral neutralization, viral titer and more with a focused effort on understanding the SARS-CoV-2 virus in order to develop potential therapies for COVID-19 including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

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    Digital Confocal

    Digital Confocal

    The ability of cells to adapt to their environment is mediated by highly controlled signaling pathways. In many cases, the initiation of these pathways by extracellular signals, such as hormones or cytokines, leads to the translocation of proteins from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Once in the nucleus, these proteins can regulate the expression of target genes. Assays requiring precise identification of sub-cellular structures or molecules within different cellular compartments can benefit from the ability of image deconvolution to improve identification of the specific fluorescence signal against potentially high background caused by out-of-focus light. The ImageXpress Pico system with Digital Confocal 2D on-the-fly deconvolution is capable of measuring the translocation of proteins from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, like NF-κB translocation upon treatment with TNF-α. The enhancement in image resolution and maintenance of quantitative information from the image deconvolution leads to greater statistical significance in the analysis of nuclear translocation.

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  • Live Cell Imaging

    Live Cell Imaging

    Live cell imaging is the study of cellular structure and function in living cells via microscopy. It enables the visualization and quantitation of dynamic cellular processes in real time. Live cell imaging encompasses a broad range of topics and biological applications—whether it is performing long-term kinetic assays or fluorescently labeling live cells.

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    Neurite Outgrowth / Neurite Tracing

    Neurite Outgrowth

    Neurons create connections via extensions of their cellular body called processes. This biological phenomenon is referred to as neurite outgrowth. Understanding the signaling mechanisms driving neurite outgrowth provides valuable insight into neurotoxic responses, compound screening, and for interpreting factors influencing neural regeneration. Using the ImageXpress Micro system in combination with MetaXpress Image Analysis Software automated neurite outgrowth imaging and analysis is possible for slide or microplate-based cellular assays.

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  • Stem Cell Research

    Stem Cell Research

    Pluripotent stem cells can be used for studies in developmental biology or differentiated as a source for organ-specific cells and used for live or fixed cell-based assays on slides or in multi-well plates. The ImageXpress system has utility in all parts of the stem cell researcher’s workflow, from tracking differentiation, to quality control, to measuring functionality of specific cell types.

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Specifications of ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System

Resources of ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System

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Presentations
Videos & Webinars
Fast and simple 3D spheroid analysis using automated high-content imaging

3D Imaging Seminar Series: Fast and simple 3D spheroid analysis using automated high-content imaging

Automated ImageXpress Pico workflow

Automated Cell Imaging with the ImageXpress Pico system

Immunology and Vaccine Development Workflow

Immunology and Vaccine Development Workflow

Hybridoma Workflow

Hybridoma Workflow

ImageXpress Pico Environmental Control Installation

How to install the ImageXpress Pico Environmental Control System

Accelerate your Screening with Automated Imaging

Accelerate your screening with high-content and automated imaging

Microplate based Detection

Accelerating study of viral infection and therapeutics with microplate-based detection and high-throughput screening

ImageXpress Pico Automated Imaging

ImageXpress Pico Automated Imaging System Virtual Tour

Magnetic 3D

Magnetic 3D Bioprinting, 3D Cell Culture in a 2D Workflow

Developing High Throughput Organ on a Chip Tissue

Developing high-throughput organ-on-a-chip tissue models for drug discovery using high-content imaging

Automated imaging
Automated imaging

Automated Imaging and You – Quantitative microscopy for every lab, Powerful data for all

Preview on Imagexpress Pico

How to easily image slides and regions of interest with Live Preview on the ImageXpress Pico

Standard Widefield Imaging
Click to View Demo

Standard Widefield Imaging

ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System
Click to View Demo

See what’s new with CellReporterXpress

Product Manager Interview

A Product Manager's Tour of the ImageXpress Pico

Environmental control settings in ImageXpress Pico

Configuring environmental control settings on the ImageXpress Pico

z-stack image acquisition using CellReporterXpress

How to perform a z-stack image acquisition using CellReporterXpress

ImageXpress Pico System

Cellular images to results in minutes with automated imaging

Setting up acquisition and analysis

Setting up acquisition and analysis on the ImageXpress Pico

Transmitted light cell scoring

Transmitted light cell scoring on the ImageXpress Pico

Reviewing Experiments on ImageXpress Pico

Reviewing completed experiments on the ImageXpress Pico

ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System-Ceros
Click to View Demo

ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System-Interactive Demo

ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System

ImageXpress Pico Automated Cell Imaging System

  • Citation
    Dated: Nov 03, 2021
    Publication Name: Nature

    Targeted therapy of human leukemia xenografts in immunodeficient zebrafish

    Personalized medicine holds tremendous promise for improving safety and efficacy of drug therapies by optimizing treatment regimens. Rapidly developed patient-derived xenografts (pdx) could be a helpful tool for analyzing the effect of drugs against an individual’s tumor by growing the tumor in an immunodeficient animal. Severe combined… View more

    Personalized medicine holds tremendous promise for improving safety and efficacy of drug therapies by optimizing treatment regimens. Rapidly developed patient-derived xenografts (pdx) could be a helpful tool for analyzing the effect of drugs against an individual’s tumor by growing the tumor in an immunodeficient animal. Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice enable efficient in vivo expansion of vital tumor cells and generation of personalized xenografts. However, they are not amenable to large-scale rapid screening, which is critical in identifying new compounds from large compound libraries. The development of a zebrafish model suitable for pdx could facilitate large-scale screening of drugs targeted against specific malignancies. Here, we describe a novel strategy for establishing a zebrafish model for drug testing in leukemia xenografts. We used chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia for xenotransplantation into SCID zebrafish to evaluate drug screening protocols. We showed the in vivo efficacy of the ABL inhibitor imatinib, MEK inhibitor U0126, cytarabine, azacitidine and arsenic trioxide. We performed corresponding in vitro studies, demonstrating that combination of MEK- and FLT3-inhibitors exhibit an enhanced effect in vitro. We further evaluated the feasibility of zebrafish for transplantation of primary human hematopoietic cells that can survive at 15 day-post-fertilization. Our results provide critical insights to guide development of high-throughput platforms for evaluating leukemia.

    Contributors: Ranganatha R. Somasagara, Xiaoyan Huang, Chunyu Xu, Jamil Haider, Jonathan S. Serody, Paul M. Armistead & TinChung Leung  
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  • Citation
    Dated: Feb 02, 2021
    Publication Name: ACS Publications

    Prescription Medications Alter Neuronal and Glial Cholesterol Synthesis

    Mouse brain contains over 100 million neuronal, glial, and other support cells. Developing neurons and astrocytes synthesize their own cholesterol, and disruption of this process can occur by both genetic and chemical mechanisms. In this study we have exposed cultured murine neurons and astrocytes to six different prescription medications that… View more

    Mouse brain contains over 100 million neuronal, glial, and other support cells. Developing neurons and astrocytes synthesize their own cholesterol, and disruption of this process can occur by both genetic and chemical mechanisms. In this study we have exposed cultured murine neurons and astrocytes to six different prescription medications that cross the placenta and blood–brain barriers and analyzed the effects of these drugs on cholesterol biosynthesis by an LC–MS/MS protocol that assays 14 sterols and 7 oxysterols in a single run. Three antipsychotics (haloperidol, cariprazine, aripiprazole), two antidepressants (trazodone and sertraline), and an antiarhythmic (amiodarone) inhibited one or more sterol synthesis enzymes. The result of the exposures was a dose-dependent increase in levels of various sterol intermediates and a decreased level of cholesterol in the cultured cells. Four prescription medications (haloperidol, aripiprazole, cariprazine, and trazodone) acted primarily on the DHCR7 enzyme. The result of this exposure was an increase in 7-dehydrocholesterol in neurons and astrocytes to levels that were comparable to those found in cultured neurons and astrocytes from transgenic mice that carried a Dhcr7 pathogenic mutation modeling the neurodevelopmental disorder Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome.

    Contributors: 1Keri A. Tallman, 2,4Luke B. Allen, 2Korinne Klingelsmith, 2Allison Anderson, 2Thiago C. Genaro-Mattos, 2,4Károly Mirnics, 1Ned A. Porter, 3,4Zeljka Korade*  
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  • Citation
    Dated: Jan 28, 2020
    Publication Name: Frontiers in Immunology

    Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection of Human Lung Fibroblasts Induces a Hyaluronan-Enriched Extracellular Matrix That Binds Mast Cells and Enhances Expression of Mast Cell Proteases

    Human lung fibroblasts (HLFs) treated with the viral mimetic polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) form an extracellular matrix (ECM) enriched in hyaluronan (HA) that avidly binds monocytes and lymphocytes. Mast cells are important innate immune cells in both asthma and acute respiratory infections including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV);… View more

    Human lung fibroblasts (HLFs) treated with the viral mimetic polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) form an extracellular matrix (ECM) enriched in hyaluronan (HA) that avidly binds monocytes and lymphocytes. Mast cells are important innate immune cells in both asthma and acute respiratory infections including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); however, the effect of RSV on HA dependent mast cell adhesion and/or function is unknown. To determine if RSV infection of HLFs leads to the formation of a HA-enriched ECM that binds and enhances mast cell activity primary HLFs were infected with RSV for 48 h prior to leukocyte binding studies using a fluorescently labeled human mast cell line (LUVA). Parallel HLFs were harvested for characterization of HA production by ELISA and size exclusion chromatography. In separate experiments, HLFs were infected as above for 48 h prior to adding LUVA cells to HLF wells. Co-cultures were incubated for 48 h at which point media and cell pellets were collected for analysis. The role of the hyaladherin tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG-6) was also assessed using siRNA knockdown. RSV infection of primary HLFs for 48 h enhanced HA-dependent LUVA binding assessed by quantitative fluorescent microscopy. This coincided with increased HLF HA synthase (HAS) 2 and HAS3 expression and decreased hyaluronidase (HYAL) 2 expression leading to increased HA accumulation in the HLF cell layer and the presence of larger HA fragments. Separately, LUVAs co-cultured with RSV-infected HLFs for 48 h displayed enhanced production of the mast cell proteases, chymase, and tryptase. Pre-treatment with the HA inhibitor 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) and neutralizing antibodies to CD44 (HA receptor) decreased mast cell protease expression in co-cultured LUVAs implicating a direct role for HA. TSG-6 expression was increased over the 48-h infection. Inhibition of HLF TSG-6 expression by siRNA knockdown led to decreased LUVA binding suggesting an important role for this hyaladherin for LUVA adhesion in the setting of RSV infection. In summary, RSV infection of HLFs contributes to inflammation via HA-dependent mechanisms that enhance mast cell binding as well as mast cell protease expression via direct interactions with the ECM.

    Contributors: Stephen R. Reeves,1,2,3,* Kaitlyn A. Barrow,2 Lucille M. Rich,2 Maria P. White,2 Nicholas J. Shubin,2Christina K. Chan,4 Inkyung Kang,4 Steven F. Ziegler,5 Adrian M. Piliponsky,2,3 Thomas N. Wight,4 and Jason S. Debley1,2,3  
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Featured Applications

Apoptosis Analysis

Apoptosis Analysis

Apoptosis is a process of programmed cell death important to a number of biological processes…

Read More
Cancer Research

Cancer Research

Cancer researchers need tools that enable them to more easily study the complex and often poorly…

Read More
Cardiomyocytes

Cardiomyocytes

Stem cells differentiated into cardiomyocytes are used to screen early for potential toxicological…

Read More
Cell Counting

Cell Counting

Cell counting is fundamental and critical to numerous biological experiments. Assays such as drug…

Read More
COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Research

COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Research

Here we've addressed common applications in infectious disease research including cell line…

Read More
Digital Confocal

Digital Confocal

The ability of cells to adapt to their environment is mediated by highly controlled signaling…

Read More
Live Cell Imaging

Live Cell Imaging

Live cell imaging is the study of cellular structure and function in living cells via microscopy.…

Read More
Neurite Outgrowth / Neurite Tracing

Neurite Outgrowth / Neurite Tracing

Neurons create connections via extensions of their cellular body called processes. This biological…

Read More
Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

Pluripotent stem cells can be used for studies in developmental biology or differentiated as a…

Read More

Customer Breakthrough

Dr. Reeves and his collaborators perform an analysis of the interaction between LUVA cells and ECM of human lung fibroblasts (HLFs)
Dr. Reeves and his collaborators perform an analysis of the interaction between LUVA cells and ECM of human lung fibroblasts (HLFs)

SUCCESS STORY

Researchers gain new insights into immune response during pediatric respiratory infections using the ImageXpress Pico system

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How can we help advance your next big discovery?

Our highly-qualified teams are on the frontlines with our customers, conducting remote or on-site product demonstrations, webinars, and more to help you solve your tough research challenges. How can we help you today?

I’d like to…

Request a demo

How can we help advance your next big discovery?

Our highly-qualified teams are on the frontlines with our customers, conducting remote or on-site product demonstrations, webinars, and more to help you solve your tough research challenges. How can we help you today?

I’d like to…

Request a demo
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