5000+ ORGANOIDS
5000+ ORGANOIDS
5000+ ORGANOIDS
ACCESSORIES & DEVICES
MAKE YOUR EXPERIMENTS EASIER
OPTIMIZE EVERY STEP TO ELEVATE REPRODUCIBILITY
To complement our advanced cell culture platforms, 4Dcell offers a curated suite of accessories designed to streamline and standardize your workflow.
From The Masker, our high-precision device for printing reproducible micropatterns, to the UV Printer, which delivers consistently pristine surfaces, and the Plasma Cleaner, engineered for robust substrate activation, each tool integrates seamlessly with your existing protocols.
y simplifying patterning, cleaning, and activation steps, these accessories save you time, boost reproducibility, and let you focus on what matters most: your science.
THE MASKER
The 4Dcell Masker is a convenient and highly precise device for the printing of micropatterns on glass slides. It can be used with the 4Dcell photomask and 24 mm glass slides. The Masker is provided as an accessory for the micropatterning kit to improve the printing process. It allows a better adherence of the slides on the photomask and so, a more precise printing of the micropatterns (no diffraction). With this accessory, you do not need to use the droplet of water or a vacuum source to stick the slides to the optical mask.
-
Better adherence
Improves the contact between the glass slides and the photomask
-
Easy positionning of the glass slides
No need to use water or vacuum to stick the slides to the photomask
-
Homogeneous printing
Design that allows a homogeneous pressure on the slides
HOW TO USE THE MASKER
1. Once your photomask is cleaned and activated, place it on the Masker. Then turn it upside down so that the chromium side is facing you
2. Gently place your slides at their right position, with coated side on the chromium side.
3. Close the Masker. Holding it tight, turn it upside down once again and lock it with the screw.
4. Place it in the UV Printer for 10 minutes to allow the printing of the micropatterns.
5. Then, gently open the masker and remove the slides. If they are attached strongly to the mask, add water on the mask to help them detach.
UV PRINTER
The UV Printer can remove organic molecules from a surface by dissociating them thanks to a photo-sensitized oxidation process. It allows you to have a very clean surface, cleared of residues that could influence the properties of the surface of your sample. It can also be used as an activating tool or a printing device for your surfaces.
-
High Power UV light source
Generation of ozone which breaks down surface contaminants into volatile compounds
-
Can be used on various surfaces and substrates
Silicon, Silicon nitride,Diamond, MEMS surfaces, Glass, Mica, Metals
-
Non destructive method
No trace left and no damage caused to the sample
PRINTING THE MICROPATTERNS
The main application of the UV Printer related with our products is to print the micropatterns onto the glass substrate (either a Micropatterned slide or a Micropatterned dish).The lamp and everything you need to get micropatterns on slides is provided with the Micropatterns Fabrication Kit. The following brief procedure will illustrate the use of the UV Printer.
First, the glass substrate is coated with an anti-adhesive agent, e.g. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (pre-coated slides can be provided).
To pattern the surface, a Micropatterning Photomask is placed over the substrate. It will define the areas that will enable the cells to be adherent.
Then, the high energy light of the deep UVs will damage the exposed areas printing the patterns.
Finally, extra cellular matrix (ECM) proteins are loaded over the treated surface. The anti-fouling effect of the patterned coating will make the ECM attach only on the damaged areas. Thus, the cells will adhere and multiply only over the restricted areas.
PLASMA CLEANER
The plasma treatment is the best solution to get long-term surface activation. The chemical reactions involved create a covalent bonding between PDMS-PDMS or PDMS-glass surface. Moreover, it can be used to remove contaminants of a surface thanks to its high oxidative power.
-
Highly activates the surface
Creates covalent bonding between Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the glass surface
-
Enhances wettability
Makes the surface more hydrophilic.
-
Cleans the surface
Remove organic contaminants by chemical reaction avoiding the use of solvents
The Plasma Cleaner is provided with a vaccum pump and a gas flow mixer that monitors vaccum pressure.
It is included in the Microchannels Fabrication Kit to ensure a strong bonding between the microchannel PDMS chip and the glass bottom petri dish. Once this step is done, the great hydrophilicity enables an easy loading of extra cellular adhesion proteins and cell solutions into the microchannels.