Dynamic Confiner
For observing cells before, during, and after confinement. The dynamic confiner uses an external vacuum pump to control confinement. You can adjust pressure, which translates in height without touching the confinement setup, which means no disturbance to your imaging. Perfect for live cell experiments where you need to see what happens as confinement changes in real time.
Complete kit includes:
OB1 pressure controller with vacuum and pressure sources
Kit of consumables (tubes, connectors, security tank) - reusable
Set of 3 suction cups - reusable
Set of 12 confinement coverslips, 10 mm (choose 3 heights) - single use
3x PDMS stencils - reusable
Set of 12 glass bottom petri dishes (FluoroDish) - single use
Why SmartConfinement?
Traditional 2D culture forces cells into unnatural shapes. They spread flat, mechanical cues disappear, and many phenotypes never show up. 3D culture gives you realism but takes away control. Imaging becomes difficult, experiments get messy, and reproducibility drops.
SmartConfinement is the middle ground.
It recreates the physical constraints cells feel inside tissues by placing them between two parallel surfaces with precise height control. This creates a controlled 2.5D environment that feels realistic to the cell while staying easy to image and reproduce.
Cells behave more naturally. Mechanical pathways activate. Migration modes change. Nuclear mechanics respond to the confinement height. Most importantly, you can repeat the experiment and trust the results.
How it works
Cell confiners squeeze cells between two parallel planes using a glass coverslip with molded PDMS micropillars. The micropillars set the confinement height between your cell culture substrate and the confinement coverslip.
Available confinement heights: 1 μm to 20 μm in 1 μm increments
You choose your heights based on your application. The system shapes the cell and nucleus and introduces mechanical signals that are missing in 2D culture.
Best for
Time-lapse imaging, observing confinement transitions, experiments requiring pressure control without manual intervention
Getting started
Every system is easy to use. We don't usually perform demos because setup is straightforward. Video tutorials show you exactly how to assemble and use the devices.
Each kit comes with:
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Detailed user guide
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Setup videos (for static confiners)
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Technical support
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