Thrive Bioscience Inc., a provider of innovative automated live cell imaging instruments and software, debuted its CellAssist Software Release 5.0, a new integrated suite of advanced live cell imaging capabilities in December at Cell Bio 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology. CellAssist Release 5.0 will be launched in mid-2024 with Beta versions of the software available now to collaborators and customers.

CellAssist Software Release 5.0 adds many major capabilities to the already powerful CellAssist family of live cell imagers, including accurate label-free cell counting and determining confluence levels, imaging and measuring organoids in 96- and 384-well round and flat bottom plates, the addition of quantitative phase imaging (QPI), email/text alerts to users when designated confluence levels are reached, and the ability to run CellAssist’s analytical software from remote laptops. Thrive’s implementation of QPI, combined with proprietary algorithms, enables Thrive's superior cell counting, confluence measuring, and computed DIC imaging.

CellAssist instruments provide previously unavailable capabilities in imaging adherent cells, stem cells, suspension cells, and 3D cell structures by automatically and precisely capturing 1,000’s of time-series images with 100+ focal planes, vastly improving drug screening, viral plaque assays, gene editing (CRISPR), and stem cell research and production.

“Thrive CellAssist instruments have solved major gaps in cell biology with its groundbreaking accuracy in counting cells and determining their confluence, measurements that are fundamental to cell-based research and therapeutics. The CellAssist achieves superior imaging and provides accurate metrics by capturing images at 100+ focal planes, each 2 µm to 50 µm apart, time-series imaging with superb registration, and by characterizing the 3D topology of each cell,” explained Thomas Farb-Horch, CEO of Thrive.

CellAssist instruments include a single-plate benchtop model and a robotic 50-plate model, both with advanced software that develops comprehensive databases of high-quality images, metrics, and documentation that provide researchers groundbreaking insights into cell and tissue dynamics. CellAssist instruments share the following unique features within an environmentally controlled and monitored environment:

• Bright-field, phase contrast, and quantitative phase imaging (QPI) at 4x, 10x, and 20x.
• Imaging with up to at least 100 focal planes, each 2 µm to 50 µm apart (user-selectable), with a z-range up to at least 5.0 mm.
• Superb registration that allows researchers to track single cells, colonies, or organoids over time.
• Entire well imaging in 6- through 384-well cell culture plates (round bottom and flat bottom) with high-quality stitching.
• An integrated documentation system which provides barcoded, time-stamped activity logs.
• Rapid scanning of plates, capturing 1,000s of images at many z-heights in as little as five minutes.