Development of a Novel Method to Assess Primary Hepatocyte Concentration and Viability

The Cellometer Vision Cell Analyzer incorporates
image based cell counting and fluorescence
detection in a compact and easy-to-use instrument.
With dual fluorescence detection capabilities,
Cellometer Vision is an ideal solution for many
complex cell population characterization assays,
such as reliable counting and viability determination
of primary hepatocytes.

Reliable concentration and viability determination
of primary hepatocytes is critical for accurate
analysis of compound toxicity in vitro. Due to
hepatocytes’ variable morphology, fragile nature
and tendency to clump, traditional manual counting
methods are time-consuming and the subjectivity
from operator-to-operator can cause inconsistent
results.

Nexcelom’s new method incorporates a ready-touse fluorescent dual staining solution that stains live cells with acridine orange, and dead cells with
propidium iodide. Researchers then load 20μL of
labeled sample into a disposable counting chamber
for analysis. Because the counting chamber is
disposable, no washing is required between samples
and the risk of cross contamination is eliminated.

Fluorescent images of the stained cells are captured
and analyzed using proprietary algorithms.
Cellometer Vision’s robust operating software
accurately analyzes cell images to generate live cell
count, concentration and viability percentage. Total
analysis time is typically less than 60 seconds. Cell
images and all analysis data, including cell size
distribution histograms, can be instantly saved for
documentation. Data can also be easily exported to
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for further analysis.