Incubators on the Move

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From better features to automation, these devices can even move samples

The range of equipment that shows up in labs covers many areas and varies extensively by what the scientists explore, but there are some common elements. “Every life science laboratory has an incubator,” says Lenore Buehrer at BioTek Instruments (Winooski, VT). “They are an essential tool for many applications, and they are available with a very wide range of features and functionalities.”

What incubators can do depends often on what scientists need. So, advances in science spur improvements in incubators. “Scientists are increasingly culturing primary and stem cells instead of immortalized cell lines because these more physiological cell types represent better biological relevance for applied research applications,” says Molly Love Parrucci, senior global product manager, CO₂ incubators, laboratory equipment technologies at Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA). “They are better mimics of the in-vivo state but are generally more fragile.” She adds, “I had a good customer once refer to them as her ‘tricky cells.’”

All cells can get contaminated, but that problem increases with primary and stem cells. As Parrucci describes it, that happens “because of the increased labor and expense to keep them healthy, and also because they are cultured without the use of antibiotics.” In addition, labs tend to work with 5–8 cell types. “Working with so many cultures simultaneously can also increase the risk of cross-contamination,” Parrucci says. “To address these concerns, researchers will often segregate these high-value cell cultures in a different incubator.”

When a lab uses a different incubator for high-value cells, scientists could benefit from new technology and some options that already exist. “To address this desire for segregation, we have launched a patented, innovative solution of removable, protected chambers in our Thermo Scientific Heracell VIOS 160i CO2 Incubators to improve culturing efficiency and security for these sensitive cultures,” Parrucci explains. “The Thermo Scientific Cell Locker System features up to six individual, autoclavable polycarbonate chambers that divide the incubator chamber for enhanced security.”

These chambers protect high-end cells from cross-contamination. Plus, they reduce environmental changes experienced by the cells when the incubator door is opened. “Each Cell Locker has dual 0.2-micrometer membrane filters that permit air circulation but exclude microbial contaminants,” Parrucci says. “Each Cell Locker is effectively a quarantine chamber.” She adds, “When one Cell Locker is opened, the other Cell Lockers maintain stable conditions, preserving the in-vitro environment.”

This gives just a glimpse of the incubator needs in life science labs. Now, let’s take a look at what else is available.

Models on the market

The key to new models revolves around the features. Some of the advances come in the construction and parts, others involve software, and some combine various elements.

The Thermo Scientific Cell Locker protects high-end cells from cross-contamination. (Image courtesy of Thermo Fisher Scientific.)

“BioTek recently introduced the BioSpa 8 Automated Incubator, with an advanced hardware and software design that automates workflows from long-term kinetic live-cell imaging to automated ELISA, at an affordable price,” Buehrer notes. “BioSpa manages up to eight microplates or other labware using its robotic arm to move the labware from its temperature, CO₂/O₂ and humidity-controller drawers to a liquid handler, imaging or detection system, or both for full ‘walkaway’ automation.”

The BioSpa 8 Automated Incubator carries out workflows on its own. (Image courtesy of BioTek Instruments.)

In shopping for an incubator, there are many features to consider. Despite being seemingly omnipresent in life science labs, one lab’s needs don’t necessarily mirror what another lab could use. Still, some features help many labs.

New Brunswick Incubators from Eppendorf (Hauppauge, NY), for instance, include a shaker. The company notes that these incubators can be used for culturing cell suspensions that require gentle agitation and “adherent cells such as stem cells that require both incubation and periodic gentle shaking.”

Other forms of movement can also be useful. “Well-designed automation can bring efficiency to most laboratories,” Buehrer says. “The BioSpa 8 Automated Incubator enables scientists to focus on other tasks instead of manually transferring plates between instruments.”

At NuAire (Plymouth, MN), scientists can consider a variety of CO₂ incubators. As the company notes: “NuAire Laboratory CO2 Incubators are available as a direct heat (air jacket) or water jacket configuration. They deliver a higher level of performance for a dependable and reliable controlled in-vitro environment for optimum tissue cell culture growth by properly controlling temperature, humidity, CO₂ gas, and sterility.” The company adds: “The chamber also provides an environment for the storage and preservation of gametes and animal tissue cell cultures at near body temperature.” Plus, advanced gas-control systems are “available to create precise environmental conditions for your protocols requiring hypoxic conditions.”

How much gets packed into the right size matters for some labs. In describing the BioSpa 8, for instance, Buehrer points out that “its compact size allows benchtop or biosafety enclosure installation, which can be an important consideration for some laboratories.”

Other options in CO₂ incubators come from many manufacturers, including Binder (Tuttlingen, Germany). For example, its CB 220 provides 7.4 cubic feet of space, and units can be stacked. The company also makes incubators in a range of sizes, from 1.9 to 7.4 cubic feet.

As Parrucci says, “At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we are offer various CO₂ incubator capacities—40 to 800 liters—and accessories, like the Cell Locker, to assist in application optimization.”

Software add-ons to incubators can also come in handy, as long as they do something that a lab needs. Instead of being swayed with unnecessary software features, though, a lab manager should consider the potential value.

With the BioSpa 8, for example, “there’s no need for constant monitoring, since the advanced software can send notifications by text or e-mail,” Buehrer explains. “BioSpa’s software is designed for easy, multiuser access so there’s no logjam when multiple processes are run.” She adds, “All workflows are monitored and recorded in the software, so the entire process can be reviewed quickly and easily.”

As this review shows, many features matter in incubators. Sometimes, the storage space is key, but other features—from automation and various applications to separating and shaking cells—can be considered as well. The capabilities from software that comes with an incubator can also impact how the instrument fits the workflow of a lab. Like many lab instruments, the value of an incubator to a lab depends on the complete package and what it needed. This is a very packed market, so it pays to do some research before buying.

Mike May is a freelance writer and editor living in Texas. He can be reached at [email protected]