Flow Imaging Microscopy Blog

We are excited to announce that we will be co-hosting a FlowCam workshop with our European partners Anasysta.  This exclusive introductory workshop on the FlowCam Cyano and the FlowCam 8000 series will be hosted at the University of Konstanz and is scheduled for October 1st, 2018 from 9am - 4pm.

The FlowCam Cyano utilizes a red laser to differentiate cyanobacteria from other algae and detritus in aquatic samples. After capturing digital images of the algae, the FlowCam’s software, VisualSpreadsheet, can be used to further characterize the specific types of all algae found in the sample.

In a recent study by Kiyoshi et al., a Japanese consortium conducted a collaborative study to assess the standardization of flow imaging microscopy (FIM) for the analysis of subvisible particles (SVPs) and protein aggregates in therapeutic protein products.

We are proud to announce that our FlowCam Nano has earned the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 2018 Pharma Innovation Award.  Honored in the category of Analytical and Monitoring Devices, the FlowCam Nano particle analyzer is recognized as the industry's first ever flow imaging nano particle analyzer that provides digital images of particles ranging in size from 300 nm to 10+ µm.

IAGLR and the European Large Lakes Symposium (ELLS) are co-sponsoring an international conference entitled “Big Lakes, Small World” during the week of September 23-28, 2018 at Lake Geneva in Evian, France. The meeting will be the first IAGLR meeting held outside North America, and in conjunction with the 5th European Large Lakes Symposium.

The summer internship is a valued program at Fluid Imaging Technologies (FIT). For the past 5 years, we've hosted a student in our headquarters to grow and pursue their interest in science, technology, and business.

This year, Travis Haysley, a joint MBA and PhD student at University of Maine's Graduate School for Biomedical Science and Engineering, approached us about an internship opportunity. Haysley was interested in FIT for our unique ability to offer a glimpse into the world of industry while providing an avenue to pursue his interest in instrumentation. 

In this recently published paper, colleagues at Baker Hughes demonstrated that dynamic fluid imaging can be used to analyze the oil content in produced water. Using the FlowCam, they were able to quickly analyze the oil/solids content, oil droplets size and size distribution using only a small sample size. Additionally, the analysis help to understand the behavior and performance of reverse emulsion breakers (REBs) used in water clarification. As a result, various methods of REBs could be tested and the most effective methods were identified.

Over the years, Fluid Imaging Technologies CEO, Kent Peterson has observed a shift in focus of process components in biopharmaceutical manufacturing from steel and glass to plastic (Single Use Technologies or SUT).  For sure there are advantages and disadvantages of each, from cost to breakage, to formulation interaction and stability.

Pollen-based microcapsules such as hollow sporopollen exine capsules (SECs) have emerged as excellent drug delivery and microencapsulation vehicles due to their eco-friendly nature, uniform micron-scale size, and chemical and physical stability. Natural pollen species such as dandelion pollen grains offer diverse architectural features such as large internal cavities and a tough outer exine layer that can be readily prepared and utilized as microencapsulation materials.

One Ocean Expeditions' vessel Akademik loffe will be setting sail on August 23rd for 22 days with a team of scientists, students and a film crew to study the Arctic Ocean. First ever live-broadcasts are planned for select museums, classrooms and citizen scientists worldwide.  

The Akademik loffe will set sail late August 2018 to conduct climate change studies in the Canadian Arctic. A FlowCam will be aboard and used for plankton monitoring. Credit: One Ocean Expeditions. 

Aboard the Akademik Ioffe, the team will collect water, ice, and air samples to advance the understanding of and document the effect climate change is having on the environment and biodiversity in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

The expedition's chief scientist, Dr. Brice Loose of the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, is coordinating and leading the research into the exchange of greenhouse gases between the water and atmosphere, and changes in distribution and abundance of two vulnerable levels of the Arctic food web – plankton and seabirds.  

Do you know the faces behind your instruments? We'd like to introduce our online community to some new members of the Fluid Imaging Technologies team.