A New Platform for Real Time Analysis of Metabolic Processes in Live Cells
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Biological Sciences
Abstract
We request an Agilent Seahorse XF Pro analyser interfaced with Cytation 1 imager and software for high throughput real-time analysis of metabolic processes in live cells.
Metabolic phenotyping is the term given to the comprehensive analysis of biological samples, such as body fluids (eg urine, blood, saliva), tissues (eg muscle, epithelial, nervous), or cells (eg bacteria, yeast, mammalian) to understand physiological (healthy) or pathological (disease) states. Analytical technologies for metabolic phenotyping of living cells in real-time are essential to fully understand biological processes in their near-to-native state. The routine analysis of cellular mechanisms has the potential to improve our understanding of cell growth and implications of cell aging, impact of environmental changes on cellular health, initiation of disease in healthy cells, effect of drugs or treatments on diseased cells, and impact of interventions on cellular homeostasis. Majority of our existing understanding of metabolic phenotypes involve cell disruption (breaking cells open) to access and analyse its metabolome, or the analysis of the cellular environment to deduce internal cellular bioprocesses. Neither of these approaches accurately represent the native state of metabolism in living cells. It is therefore essential to probe cellular metabolic processes in live cells to better understand biology, diseases, aging, as well as to improve the use of cells in engineering organisms for valuable commodities (such as anti-cancer drugs, vaccines, flavours and fragrances, plastic alternatives, etc).
The Agilent Seahorse XF Pro analyser is an instrument that can measure vital cellular processes in live cells, without using disruptive (cell lysis) techniques. The instrument preserves cell integrity during analysis and allows repeat measurements to be taken on the same cells over time, providing an unprecedented depth in metabolic phenotyping of live cells. Additionally, the instrument is easy-to-use, has high throughput, is compatible with a wide variety of cell types, requires minimal cleaning and calibration, and is user-friendly with an intuitive software platform, making it an ideal instrument for multi-user environments, such as the EdinOmics facility. By adding this capability to EdinOmics existing portfolio of analytical technologies, we will be able to provide world leading researchers at the University of Edinburgh with a high throughput metabolic phenotyping technology to improve research productivity, minimise experiment costs, reduce time to results and speed up technology translation to market.
Metabolic phenotyping is the term given to the comprehensive analysis of biological samples, such as body fluids (eg urine, blood, saliva), tissues (eg muscle, epithelial, nervous), or cells (eg bacteria, yeast, mammalian) to understand physiological (healthy) or pathological (disease) states. Analytical technologies for metabolic phenotyping of living cells in real-time are essential to fully understand biological processes in their near-to-native state. The routine analysis of cellular mechanisms has the potential to improve our understanding of cell growth and implications of cell aging, impact of environmental changes on cellular health, initiation of disease in healthy cells, effect of drugs or treatments on diseased cells, and impact of interventions on cellular homeostasis. Majority of our existing understanding of metabolic phenotypes involve cell disruption (breaking cells open) to access and analyse its metabolome, or the analysis of the cellular environment to deduce internal cellular bioprocesses. Neither of these approaches accurately represent the native state of metabolism in living cells. It is therefore essential to probe cellular metabolic processes in live cells to better understand biology, diseases, aging, as well as to improve the use of cells in engineering organisms for valuable commodities (such as anti-cancer drugs, vaccines, flavours and fragrances, plastic alternatives, etc).
The Agilent Seahorse XF Pro analyser is an instrument that can measure vital cellular processes in live cells, without using disruptive (cell lysis) techniques. The instrument preserves cell integrity during analysis and allows repeat measurements to be taken on the same cells over time, providing an unprecedented depth in metabolic phenotyping of live cells. Additionally, the instrument is easy-to-use, has high throughput, is compatible with a wide variety of cell types, requires minimal cleaning and calibration, and is user-friendly with an intuitive software platform, making it an ideal instrument for multi-user environments, such as the EdinOmics facility. By adding this capability to EdinOmics existing portfolio of analytical technologies, we will be able to provide world leading researchers at the University of Edinburgh with a high throughput metabolic phenotyping technology to improve research productivity, minimise experiment costs, reduce time to results and speed up technology translation to market.
Technical Summary
The Agilent Seahorse XF Pro analyser is an advanced technology offering increased throughput and experimental flexibility with 96-well format, improved sensitivity and dynamic range, and upgraded software for quick experimental design, automated data analysis in real-time, and additional tools for data interpretation and export. The instrument is compatible with mammalian adherent and suspension cells, isolated mitochondria, as well as non-mammalian cells. The four dynamic injection ports of the XF Pro analyser allow independent injections into individual wells with automatic mixing. The data analysis workflow supports automatic calculation of oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates in the same well. The latest desktop software is Windows-compatible, and the instrument is also supported by a cloud-based platform for data visualisation from any computer with an internet connectivity. The Cytation 1 imager interfaced with the Seahorse analyser, provides a unified workflow for cell counts and simplifies data normalisation using a single software. The Wave software controls the instrument and performs rate measurements, giving the user a holistic solution without the need to use multiple software for data analysis and visualisation.
The Agilent Seahorse technology is unique, as it is the only analyser currently available for metabolic profiling in live cells. The analyser measures metabolic rates simultaneously and delivers comprehensive cellular metabolism data without the use of dyes, labels, or reporters. Alternatives to the Seahorse technology are Clark electrodes for measurement of oxygen, enzyme assays using absorbance, luminescence, or fluorescence for lactate and ATP levels, scintillation counters using heavy-labelled glucose for glucose uptake assays, and mass spectrometry assays for carbon tracing. The Seahorse analyser will provide a complementary service to our existing offerings by allowing real-time metabolic phenotyping in live cells.
The Agilent Seahorse technology is unique, as it is the only analyser currently available for metabolic profiling in live cells. The analyser measures metabolic rates simultaneously and delivers comprehensive cellular metabolism data without the use of dyes, labels, or reporters. Alternatives to the Seahorse technology are Clark electrodes for measurement of oxygen, enzyme assays using absorbance, luminescence, or fluorescence for lactate and ATP levels, scintillation counters using heavy-labelled glucose for glucose uptake assays, and mass spectrometry assays for carbon tracing. The Seahorse analyser will provide a complementary service to our existing offerings by allowing real-time metabolic phenotyping in live cells.
