NEW OPTURA®PALM® handheld contactless biomass sensor from Aber offers accurate cell density measurement in seconds without sampling

Aber Instruments (Aber), a world-leading manufacturer of biomass monitoring technology,  is delighted to introduce its new OPTURA® PALM® handheld biomass sensor. The new sensor designed for non-invasive biomass measurement allows rapid, accurate reading of cell density without sampling, making it perfect for laboratory applications such as monitoring seed trains, as well as determining optimum cell harvest or virus infection times.

Based on Aber’s innovative, OPTURA® range the OPTURA® PALM® harnesses near-infrared (NIR) bio-reflectance for contactless biomass analysis. Scientists simply point the sensor at their culture vessel and the OPTURA® PALM® generates cell density readings within seconds without having to break the sterile barrier to take samples.

The robustly designed OPTURA® PALM® consisting of a NIR unit and sensor measurement face, operates by emitting a NIR laser from the sensor into the media. Due to the wavelength used only cells present in the media reflect light back to the sensor measurement face. Reflectance and biomass are proportionally related so that for example a higher reflectance indicates a greater biomass. Since NIR can pass through glass or plastic vessel walls (up to 10mm) and the laser has a penetration depth of 2.5 cm, it is possible to use the OPTURA® PALM® to measure cells growing inside common labware such as shake flasks, T-flasks, roller bottles and polypropylene tubes in seconds without sampling.

Being able to measure cell density without having to remove cells for off-line measurement saves time and effort by eliminating the risk of contaminating the culture and the need to repeat experiments. Additionally, because OPTURA® PALM® utilises a unique non-invasive yet quick measurement method it allows environmentally friendly collection of more data points as there is no need to use consumables such as single-use pipette tips or cuvettes.

The OPTURA® PALM® has been successfully evaluated by Aber scientists against traditional manual OD600 spectrophotometer analysis, which can take 30 minutes to complete if cells require dilution.  Additionally, the sensor has been shown to measure cell density as accurately as traditionally analytical methods so scientists can be assured of the precision of their biomass results for a range of microbial, plant and mammalian cell applications.

Dr Lindsey Male, OPTURA Product Manager at Aber Instruments explains: "Scientists tell us their off-line methods of measuring biomass in the lab are time consuming and run the risk of contaminating their cultures. This means they are loathe to keep measuring cell density and are limited in the amount of data they collect.”

Dr Male continues: “The benefit for scientists is they can now have our unrivalled technology in the palm of their hand to generate cell density read-outs in seconds without having to sample. Compared to standard off-line measurements, our new sensor will save hours of tedious, repetitive tasks, as well as consumable costs which means that the OPTURA®PALM® could soon be as common as a pH meter in any laboratory where accurate cell density measurement is an essential part of their workflow.”

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