FAQs
To help you find the information you need we've broken our FAQs up into the sections below. If you still can't find the answer why not Ask the Cellix Team or get in touch in our Contact Us section.
- The Basics - How it works, who is using Cellix and more
- The Benefits - What Cellix can do for you
- What are the advantages of the Cellix VenaFlux™ platform over other technologies/techniques?
- I am currently using my own customised system, what can Cellix do to improve my drug screening process?
- I am not currently using anything like this, how will using Cellix technology impact my drug screening process?
- Because Cellix adds another stage into my drug screening process won't it slow down how quickly I can optimise my leads?
- Product Specific Questions
- What type of information does the VenaFlux™ platform provide?
- Does the user require certain knowledge or in-depth training?
- What type of experiments can be carried out?
- What are the typical values of shear stress for the experiments?
- What objectives are typically used with the VenaEC Biochips?
- How are the results analysed?
- Is it possible to obtain technical information and to see the platform in operation prior to purchase?
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Therapeutic areas
The Basics
Q: How does the Cellix system work?
A: The Cellix platform provides researchers in pharmaceutical and biotech companies with a groundbreaking new solution to enhance their drug discovery programmes and eliminate false leads earlier. Cellix's unique technology enables cell-based flow assays in a relevant physiological microenvironment mimicking blood capillaries. Cell-cell and cell-protein interactions can be studied in a fast, reliable, cost-effective manner.
Q: What stage in the drug screening process is the Cellix system used?
A: The Cellix platform is used to optimise leads before engaging in animal trials. It simulates blood capillaries so human isolated cells or whole blood can be used for flow assays, marking an important step forward from in vitro static experiments. This means more accurate results can be achieved before proceeding to animal models and clinical trials saving time and money spent on false leads.
Q: Who is currently using Cellix?
A: Over a third of the top ten leading pharmaceutical companies are already using Cellix technology to study drug effects on cell activity with regards to cardiovascular, oncology, respiratory and bacteriology. That's companies like AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis and Servier.
The Benefits
Q: What are the advantages of the Cellix VenaFlux™ platform over other technologies/techniques?
A: Our clients have reported that the Cellix platform provides information much faster, resulting in a reduction in experimental time and overall costs. The VenaFlux™ is a fully integrated, automatic platform that enables researchers to carry out experiments in conditions that mimic physiological microenvironments. Cell-based flow assays with a wide range of shear stresses compete with the standard static experiments that are currently used in laboratories
Q: I am currently using my own customised system, what can Cellix do to improve my drug screening process?
A: Cellix's technology can be integrated and adapted to work with many in-house systems to enhance the precision and accuracy of your drug screening process.
Q: I am not currently using anything like this, how will using Cellix technology impact my drug screening process?
A: Cellix's technology can enhance the drug screening process by simulating the flow of cells in blood capillaries. Compounds can be investigated with isolated cells or whole blood, providing more accurate results; before proceeding to animal models and clinical trials saving time and money spent on false leads.
Q: Because Cellix adds another stage into my drug screening process won't it slow down how quickly I can optimise my leads?
A: As another step is added to the discovery process, savings in time and expenses are reflected in the quality of results obtained. Relatively rapid analyses reduces drug development costs by accelerating false lead elimination and increasing productivity in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development laboratories.
Product Specific Questions
Q: What type of information does the VenaFlux™ platform provide?
A: The adhesion profiles of cells can be studied to obtain information, for example, on the effects of drugs, on receptor-ligand activation, on the effects of chemokines in research areas such as cardiovascular, oncology, respiratory or bacteriology.
Q: Does the user require certain knowledge or long training?
A: During the installation of the platform in your laboratory all information and training will be provided. The platform is very straightforward and the software for running experiments and analysing results is extremely user-friendly.
Q: What type of experiments can be carried out?
A: Routinely experiments are carried out by Cellix's R&D team to study the adhesion profiles of cells such as monocytes, T-cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, PBMCs, cancer cells, platelets and cell lines including THP1s and CHOs. Studies with whole blood can also be performed. The adhesion of cells can be studied on endothelial cells or purified molecules such as rhVCAM-1, rhICAM-1, collagen, vWF or fibrinogen, depending on your application. If you would like to discuss whether Cellix's platform can be used for your scientific interests please contact info@cellixltd.com and our research team will assist you.
Q: What are the typical values of shear stress for the experiments?
A: Shear stress values change considerably when you're carrying out experiments using cell suspensions or whole blood. Typical values may vary from 0.1 to 20 dyne/cm2 (10-2000 s-1) for cell suspension, or from 30 to 180 dyne/cm2 (667-4000 s-1) for whole blood experiments, with the aim of reproducing physiological conditions or mimicking thrombosis.
Q: Which biochips do Cellix provide?
A: Vena8™: 8 channel biochip that can be coated with adhesion molecules of interest to study cell receptor-ligand interactions. VenaEC™: 2 channel biochip that enables cell-cell interaction studies.
Q: What objectives are typically used with the Vena8 biochips?
A: The Vena8 biochip has a coverslip of 0.5mm in thickness. It can be used with long distance lenses x10, x20, x40 and some x60. In principle, any objective with working distance above 0.5mm should work the Vena8 biochip.
Q: What objectives are typically used with the VenaEC biochips?
A:VenaEC substrates are 1.0mm in thickness; therefore any objective with a working distance greater than 1.0mm can be used - long distance lenses 20x and 40x can work. We also supply 0.8mm substrates so even some extra long distance 60x lenses will work
Q: How are the results analysed?
A: DucoCell™ is the software package supplied by Cellix for the image analysis. It provides the researcher with useful information, for example on cell number, cell shape, polarity, form-factor and area. Graphs are automatically generated for the selected parameters.
Q: Is it possible to obtain technical information and to see the platform in operation prior to purchase?
A: The on-line demonstration of the VenaFlux™ platform is available to view, click here; along with information on the technical specifications. If you have further question, please Ask the Cellix Team.
Therapeutic Areas
Q: What therapeutic areas has Cellix been validated in?
A: Our R&D team, in collaboration with different partners (university groups and industry), has validated Cellix's platform for a number of therapeutics areas including cardiovascular, oncology, respiratory and bacteriology. Many studies are on-going and keep our R&D team very busy! For more information about studies we are currently working on, please Ask the Cellix Team.
Q: I want to use this for an area which currently hasn't been validated yet, what should I do?
A: If you don't know if Cellix's platform suits your scientific needs or matches your interests, you can contact our R&D team and propose your enquiries. We regularly conduct experiments in-house as requested by various organisations, to determine if a particular application is suitable to Cellix's technology. Alternatively, an on-site demonstration could be arranged to validate your particular application.