Editor's Note
Hello Everyone!
Autumn is now in the air here in Basel and we at MaxWell Biosystems celebrated our third year anniversary last month (September). And we are very proud to have already introduced two product lines—MaxOne and MaxTwo—to cater to the needs of our users in academia and industry. Following our successful MaxTwo World Launch Tour, where MaxTwo traveled from East to West, we got extremely busy with MaxTwo system and well-plate deliveries. We are excited to bring MaxTwo to your lab so you can Maximize your results from every Well.
Here are the contents of this newsletter:
Enjoy reading! :-)
Marie
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Featuring
Brain Slice Applications
High-Resolution Electrophysiology for Acute Slices
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Acute brain slices combined with microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have been utilized by contract research organizations (CROs) and pharmaceutical companies for screening compounds. The main advantage is that brain slices maintain the local connectivity and signaling of selected brain regions, similar to the physiological conditions in vivo. MaxOne has a large active area of 8-mm² and a high-density of electrodes with over 3,000 electrodes per square-millimeter. Thus, aside from the general benefits of using MEAs for compound testing (e.g., faster approach as compared to patch-clamp), MaxOne provides recording access to single-cell action potentials and population-wide local field potentials at every location over a large area of the tissue. In addition, as every electrode can be used for electrical stimulation and up to 32 electrodes can be stimulated simultaneously, very targeted stimulation experiments are enabled.
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We feature here one of the most standardized methods applied to acute hippocampal slices using microelectrode arrays. Download the application brief here:
We are continuously working on new assays for different types of preparations and experiments. Reach out to us by email (info@mxwbio.com) if you want to learn more about MaxLab Live Assays.
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We are exhibiting at SfN 2019!
Come and meet us: Booth #1967 |
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User Interview: Prof. Ikuro Suzuki
Associate Professor, Tohoku Institute of Technology
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Prof. Ikuro Suzuki
Suzuki Lab
Department of Electronics
Tohoku Institute of Technology
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Hello Dr. Suzuki, can you tell us what is the main research theme of your lab?
In our lab, we our developing pharmacological and toxicological evaluation methods based on the electrophysiological activity in human iPS neurons. We extensively use microelectrode arrays (MEAs) to characterize various human iPS cell lines and the effect of compounds. We are motivated by the possibility that human iPS neurons can demonstrate drug responses and sensitivity that are not possible to be reproduced in animal models.
You’ve recently started using MaxOne, and soon MaxTwo as well. How do high-resolution MEAs help you in your research?
There are multiple parameters that you can extract using MEAs and the quality of the data is important. MaxOne and MaxTwo allow to record thousands of cells at sub-cellular resolution. Specifically, the capability to extract axon conduction velocity and detailed network connectivity may improve drug evaluation accuracy. Of course, depending on the purpose of the study, effective parameters may vary and multivariate analysis may be useful. With MaxOne and MaxTwo, we expect to observe clear differences or changes in cell or network activity due to different drugs applied.
Do you have a “secret” for successful MEA experiments and for fostering a productive and enjoyable lab environment?
First of all, it is important to identify experimental conditions strictly, not only for MEAs but for any experiment. When every detail of the experiment is established, execution should be straightforward. As for the lab, the research theme for each member is set considering interests and field of expertise. Lab members are encouraged to perform techniques that they are good at and want to do. We do mentorship of new lab members and everyone in the lab shares ideas and methods on a daily basis.
Aside from activities in the lab, do you have hobbies you’d like to share?
Snowboarding! ZERMATT is my best ski resort!
Would you like your work to be featured in our newsletter? Contact marie.obien@mxwbio.com if you're interested.
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MaxTwo World Launch Tour Highlights - USA
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Our stop in Boston catered to our current customers and invited researchers in the area. The program was packed with scientific presentations. Prof. Charles Lieber gave an inspiring talk and the closing remarks. The event was a success, with many researchers from academia and industry expressing their need for MaxTwo to characterize their cells.
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LA was the culmination of our MaxTwo World Launch Tour from East to West. Held within the ISSCR 2019 Meeting, in which MxW was a gold sponsor, we organized several events in multiple days, such as the Innovation Showcase with more than 100 attendees and an evening reception. We had four full days of excitement and amazing feedback from the stem cell community. We will be back at ISSCR 2020 Boston. See you there!
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Physio-Tech visits MxW for extensive distributor training
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MxW's official distributor in Japan, Physio-Tech, has been an important partner since 2018. Physio-Tech serves as the bridge to our users in Japan. Last September, Mr. Takuya Okada and Mr. Akiyoshi Miyazaki visited our headquarters for an extensive training on all aspects of our products and sales / marketing. As part of the program, we also went on a trip to Lucerne and Rigi.
If you are based in Japan, contact Mr. Okada (okada@physio-tech.co.jp) to get a first introduction to MaxOne and MaxTwo.
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To celebrate our third year anniversary, we went to Zurich for the MxW Team Event. The day started at Zurich Instruments, where MxW had a tour of the headquarters, and gained highly valuable learning and inspiration. Next, we headed to our own new headquarters! MxW is moving to Zurich later this year. Stay tuned for more info. In the afternoon, we sailed along Lake Zurich towards Wädenswil. We then spent the evening in a local brewery with a sumptuous dinner. Overall, the entire team had lots of fun in all the activities.
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Next Conferences and Exhibitions
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SfN 2019
19-23 October 2019 | Chicago, Illinois
ISSCR Toronto 2019
6-10 November 2019 | Toronto, Canada
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Latest Publications using MxW Technology
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Brain Slices
M. E. J. Obien, A. Hierlemann, U. Frey, "Accurate signal-source localization in brain slices by means of high-density microelectrode arrays", Scientific Reports 2019, Vol. 9, Article 788 (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36895-y). Online
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Axons
T. Bullmann, M. Radivojevic, S. Huber, K. Deligkaris, A. Hierlemann, U. Frey, "Large-Scale Mapping of Axonal Arbors Using High-Density Microelectrode Arrays", Frontiers in Neuroscience 2019, 13, Article 404 (DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00404). Online
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HD-MEA Technology
A. Shadmani, V. Viswam, Y. Chen, R. Bounik, J. Dragas, M. Radivojevic, S. Geissler, S. Sitnikov, J. Müller, A. Hierlemann, "Stimulation and artifact-suppression techniques for in-vitro high-density microelectrode array systems", IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2019, 66 (9), pp. 2481-2490 (DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2018.2890530). Online
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HD-MEA Technology
M. E. J. Obien and U. Frey, "Large-Scale, High-Resolution Microelectrode Arrays for Interrogation of Neurons and Networks", In: Chiappalone M., Pasquale V., Frega M. (eds) In Vitro Neuronal Networks. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 22. Springer, pp. 83-120 10.1007/978-3-030-11135-9_4 (DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00404. Online
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Cell Cultures, Computing
T. Kubota, K. Nakajima, H. Takahashi, "Echo State Property of Neuronal Cell Cultures", In: Tetko I., Kůrková V., Karpov P., Theis F. (eds) Artificial Neural Networks and Machine Learning – ICANN 2019: Workshop and Special Sessions. ICANN 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 11731. Springer, (DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-30493-5_13). Online
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Retina
S. Idrees, M.-P. Baumann, F. Franke, T. A. Münch, Z. M. Hafed, "Perceptual saccadic suppression starts in the retina", bioRxiv 562595 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/562595). Online
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In Vivo
A. Obaid, M.-E. Hanna, Y.-W. Wu, M. Kollo, R. Racz, M. R. Angle, J. Müller, N. Brackbill, W. Wray, F. Franke, E.J. Chichilinsky, A. Hierlemann, J. B. Ding, A. T. Schaefer, N. A. Melosh, "Massively Parallel Microwire Arrays Integrated with CMOS chips for Neural Recording", bioRxiv 573295 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/573295T). Online
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