FlowCam^® - Flow Imaging Microscopy Blog

Most organizations who are considering the purchase of a FlowCam ask themselves this question: how does the FlowCam compare to traditional light microscopy? They know that using a FlowCam is faster than using a microscope, and it's possible to produce larger amounts of data, but is the FlowCam as accurate?

Can it correctly calculate biomass, biovolume, and identify organisms? We don't want you to take our word for it, so we have gathered a selection of published studies that explore this very question. Please enjoy these summaries, and feel free to contact us for access to the full papers.

A research group at Iowa State University is studying the use of Magnetic Ionic Liquids (MILs) as a tool to isolate foodborne pathogens in liquid suspensions. Previously, they showed the ability of MILs to capture a species of Salmonella.

Their new work, published in the current issue of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, extends the previous work on MILs to the capture of several Gram-negative bacteria of importance to food, agricultural and clinical testing, including subspecies of Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.

VisualSpreadsheet 5 image analysis software (ViSp 5) represents a new platform for FlowCam data organization. Introduced in 2019, our upgraded software moves away from a simple hierarchy of folders and instead utilizes a database structure.

Biopharma labs working in drug development will be excited to learn about the module for fully-integrated compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 regulations mandated by the US FDA.

Injectable biopharmaceuticals, particularly prefilled syringes (PFS), come with risks related to the force of injection, such as patient pain and anxiety. The injection force can often be especially high with PFSs, due to the high viscosity of the contained substances.

"In clinical practice, injection pressure is commonly estimated by the injection force, which is a measure of effort required by the user during depression of the plunger on a delivery device. Previous studies have suggested that low exerted injection force was consistent with improved patient convenience and ease of injection."

Terumo Corporation has recently developed a tapered injection needle in the hopes that it will reduce the force of injection and improve the patient experience.

***COVID-19 UPDATE***  This list is actively changing, as many conferences are choosing to postpone or cancel. Please refer to our website to see an up-to-date schedule. 

Between now and June you'll find Fluid Imaging at the following events:

Pittcon

AIChE's 2020 Frontiers in Particle Science and Technology

AADE's Fluids 2020

AAPS-NERDG Annual Meeting

Drug Development Networking Summit

Powder & Bulk Solids

NYSCC Suppliers' Day

Biotherapeutics Analytical Summit

Keep reading to learn more about each conference. We hope we'll see you on the road!

***COVID-19 UPDATE***  This list is actively changing, as many conferences are choosing to postpone or cancel. Please refer to our website to see an up-to-date schedule. 

Harry and Savannah (and Frances too) can't hide their excitement about our spring conference schedule! Here's where you can find us between now and June. Don't forget to bring a water sample, and we'll analyze it for you right in our booth.

A research group with CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography in Kochi, India (https://www.nio.org/), has used the FlowCam^® to provide new evidence that temporal changes in the coastal waters of the Southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) cause size and structure changes in micro-plankton communities. Nutrient-rich coastal areas typically produce large-sized phytoplankton, and nutrient-depleted waters tend to produce smaller phytoplankton. These variations in plankton size can impact the food web, and therefore the economics of the area, where fishing is an important socioeconomic activity. 

What CAN'T be run through the FlowCam? The list below shows the majority of substances that have been imaged and analyzed on the FlowCam over the course of our 20 year history. Is your application on the list? If not, send us a sample, and we'll add it! Keep reading below to learn more about some of our favorite applications.

We use our Flow Imaging Microscopy blog as a platform to bring you relevant news and academic research, as well as highlighting developments and new uses of FlowCam technology. This year we published 68 blog posts on a large variety of subjects. Keep reading to see the countdown to the most popular post of 2019.

Based on proven FlowCam^® technology, the FlowCam Cyano automatically identifies cyanobacteria from other algae and particles in aquatic samples. Using a patent-pending combination of excitation wavelength, phycocyanin fluorescence measurement, and image recognition software, the system automates what was previously done using manual microscopy. After differentiating the cyanobacteria from the other algae in the sample, VisualSpreadsheet and Advanced Classifier software can be used to further characterize specific types of algae found in the sample using 40+ physical parameters. 

Keep reading to view our new video and see the inner workings of the FlowCam Cyano, as well as a detailed demonstration of VisualSpreadsheet's automated classification process.