FlowCam - Flow Imaging Microscopy Blog

When considering how to characterize your subvisible particles for food and beverage production it's important to be able to see the images of different particle types.

Thursday, November 21st marks Maine's annual statewide event that aims to get middle school students excited about science. This event provides 6th, 7th, and 8th graders exposure to professionals in science-related fields, with the goal of introducing them to a variety of careers available in the sciences.

New research using machine learning technology may help doctors identify pathogens in blood samples in a fraction of the time of current methods, leading to faster deployments of life-saving treatments in patients suffering from sepsis, especially newborns.

While most imaging particle analyzers only offer gray-scale (black and white) cameras for image acquisition, the FlowCam offers a choice of either gray-scale or color cameras. This post will explain the difference between these two camera choices, and discuss the inherent trade-offs that should be considered when choosing which camera to use. The summary of recommendations can be found in Figure 1 at right. Keep reading to learn the technology behind this important decision.

Fluid Imaging Technologies and the University of Colorado have entered into an exclusive patent licensing agreement aiming for the automated detection and identification of waterborne and bloodborne bacteria.

Cardiovascular implants, such as drug coated balloons or drug eluting stents used to treat coronary artery disease are subject to rigorous testing for safety. The assessment of particles released from such devices is essential in the approval of these types of coated medical devices because particles released into the blood stream can increase the risk of emboli. In this study the FlowCam was used to count and analyze particles collected during simulated tests, and these results were compared to light obscuration particle counting.
Pictured at right, FlowCam images with different threshold values.

As part of our 20^th anniversary celebration, all 30 Fluid Imaging employees traveled together to hand-deliver two new FlowCam instruments to the lab where the FlowCam was invented, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (BLOS) in East Boothbay, Maine.

Last week we welcomed our Australian Technical Services Director, Mark Williams from Kenelec Scientific, for advanced FlowCam training.

For more than 50 years, Kenelec Scientific has been one of Australia’s leading scientific and environmental technology companies. Based in Melbourne, with distributors located throughout Australia, they are recognized as innovative industry leaders in the supply of the latest generation technologies at competitive prices.

Will you be at the National Marine Educators Association Conference in Durham, NH next week? Stop by our booth in the Strafford Room to see our new FlowCam 5000 in action!  Bring a sample to be analyzed in the booth and see the streamlined efficiency of our new instrument.

Ever wondered how a FlowCam works, or how it compares to a traditional microscope? Read further to learn about the basic mechanics that all of our instruments use.