SMARTCONFINEMENT®
Static cell confiner CSOW 110 – 1-well device
The 4Dcell CSOW 110 is a reusable, mechanically operated static cell confinement device designed for 35 mm glass-bottom Petri dishes.
It confines cells between two parallel surfaces at a defined micrometer-scale height using glass confinement slides with PDMS micropillars. Available confinement heights range from 1 to 20 µm.
The compact system requires no external pump and supports live-cell imaging, controlled mechanical confinement and access to the culture medium during experiments.
WHY USE THE CSOW 110 STATIC CELL CONFINER?
Defined confinement height
Select confinement slides with PDMS micropillars to establish a controlled cell confinement height between 1 and 20 µm.
Compatible with high-resolution imaging
The device is designed for use with 35 mm glass-bottom dishes, allowing optical observation of cells under confinement.
Simple mechanical operation
Apply and maintain static confinement without an external vacuum pump. Access ports allow medium exchange while the device remains closed.
HOW DOES STATIC CELL CONFINEMENT WORK?
The CSOW 110 controls cell confinement by mechanically positioning a glass coverslip equipped with microfabricated PDMS pillars above a cell culture surface.
The micropillars define the distance between the confinement slide and the underlying substrate. Once the device is locked, cells remain confined at the selected height until the mechanism is released.
This approach enables researchers to investigate how defined spatial constraints influence cell morphology, migration and mechanical responses.
CSOW 110 static cell confiner demonstration
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications | CSOW 110 |
|---|---|
Product reference | CSOW 110 |
Confinement type | Static mechanical confinement |
Number of wells | 1 |
Culture vessel | 35 mm glass-bottom Petri dish |
Available confinement heights | 1–20 µm |
Confinement slide diameter | 16 mm |
Height selection | Up to 3 heights per kit |
Spacer material | PDMS micropillars |
Confinement mechanism | Manually operated piston |
External pump | Not required |
Imaging | Optical microscopy through a glass-bottom dish |
Medium access | Through the lid access ports |
APPLICATIONS IN CELL BIOLOGY AND MECHANOBIOLOGY
The CSOW 110 enables researchers to study cellular responses to controlled spatial confinement while maintaining access to optical microscopy.
Potential applications include:
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Cell migration under physical confinement, including the study of confined immune-cell motility.
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Cell and nuclear deformation in response to spatial constraints.
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Live-cell imaging of morphological and behavioral changes under confinement.
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Comparison of confined and unconfined cell populations.
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Investigation of mechanobiological responses to defined cell height.
Experimental conditions, confinement height and cell-substrate interactions should be selected according to the biological model and research objective.
PUBLISHED APPLICATION: MACROPHAGE MIGRATION UNDER CONFINEMENT
In a peer-reviewed study published in Biology Open, Stinson et al. (2025) investigated how physical confinement influences macrophage migration.
The researchers used the 4Dcell CSOW 110 static cell confiner with 5 µm confinement coverslips to examine macrophage behavior by time-lapse microscopy. The experimental design compared cells under confinement with cells outside the confined region.
This study provides a documented example of the CSOW 110 being used to investigate cell migration under defined mechanical constraints.
Macrophages migrate persistently and directionally upon entering 2D confinement in the presence of extracellular matrix.
Stinson MW, Paulson SG, Carlile EM, Rotty JD. Biology Open. 2025; 14(7).
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE CSOW 110 KIT?
The CSOW 110 static cell confinement kit includes:
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1 × CSOW 110 static confiner.
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12 × confinement slides, 16 mm diameter, with PDMS micropillars.
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2 × PDMS confinement pistons.
Confinement slides are available with pillar heights from 1 to 20 µm. Up to three confinement heights can be selected for a kit.
Optional surface functionalization can be discussed according to the experimental requirements, including extracellular matrix coatings such as fibronectin or anti-adhesive treatments.
CSOW 110 DEVICE ANATOMY
The CSOW 110 combines a mechanical confinement system with interchangeable confinement slides, enabling controlled cell confinement in 35 mm glass-bottom Petri dishes. The illustrations below show the device components, dimensions and culture medium access features.
Device components
The CSOW 110 consists of a mechanical holder, a removable lid, a PDMS piston and a glass confinement slide with microfabricated PDMS pillars. Together, these components establish and maintain the selected confinement height.
Device dimensions
The CSOW 110 is designed to accommodate 35 mm glass-bottom Petri dishes. Its compact mechanical design allows the device to be positioned on a compatible microscope stage for live-cell observation.
Culture medium access
The CSOW 110 lid includes access ports that allow culture medium to be added or removed without disassembling the device. This enables medium exchange while maintaining cells under static confinement.
EXPERIMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
The confinement height should be selected according to cell morphology, experimental duration and the biological response under investigation.
For microscopy experiments, verify compatibility with the microscope stage, objective working distance and imaging configuration.
PDMS can absorb certain small hydrophobic molecules from the culture medium. This property should be considered when designing compound exposure experiments, particularly when quantitative drug concentrations are important.
The CSOW 110 user guide describes cleaning procedures and optional equilibration of PDMS components before experiments.
STATIC VS DYNAMIC CONFINEMENT
The CSOW 110 is designed for experiments requiring a selected confinement height maintained through a mechanical locking system, without an external pump.
For studies requiring controlled changes in confinement over time, 4Dcell also offers a dynamic cell confiner using a vacuum-controlled piston.
The choice between static and dynamic confinement depends on whether the experiment requires a maintained mechanical constraint or controlled changes in confinement during observation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
EXPLORE OTHER SMARTCONFINEMENT SYSTEMS
Looking for a different experimental configuration?
Explore 4Dcell's multiwell static confiners for parallel cell confinement experiments or dynamic confiners for controlled changes in confinement during imaging.
Static Confiner 6 wells (CSOW 620)
A six-well static confinement system designed for parallel experiments and long-term cell confinement. Compatible with glass-bottom 6-well plates, it enables researchers to investigate multiple cell types or confinement conditions simultaneously.
Dynamic Confiner 1 well
A single-well dynamic confinement system designed for real-time control of cell confinement. Using a vacuum-controlled piston, it enables researchers to dynamically adjust confinement height and investigate cellular responses to changing mechanical constraints during live-cell imaging.