evorion CellCity
Functional Phenomics
to decipher
cell-cell interactions
Our CellCity System allows you to array and track thousands of cells as they interact with each other and respond to their shared surrounding environment.
a cellular universe within
thousands of gel beads
Cellular communication matters in vivo.
So why shouldn’t it in vitro?
Quantifying biological parameters in a population of cells obscures critical insights into how neighboring cells in a microenvironment influence function, particularly in heterogeneous samples. You can reveal these obscured interactions by performing single-cell measurements on a massively parallel platform.
CellCity is a unique microfluidics concept, which was developed for the analysis of live cells. It documents the actions of thousands of cells and cell pairs in a defined arrangement and environment at single-cell resolution. It allows you to control cell proximity in order to elucidate cell-cell interactions and track phenotype changes over time and space. Explore new frontiers in cell-based biomedical research. That is the transformative power of CellCity.
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CELL INTERACTION ANALYSIS
Co-position cells to study hundreds of interactions simultaneously.
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FUNCTIONAL PHENOMICS
Link changing functional phenotypes to underlying genotypes.
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IN-DEPTH POPULATION STUDIES
Reveal how cells function in a physiologically accurate context.
About Functional Phenomics
This unique workflow links a single cell‘s functional phenotype with multi-omics data thereby developing knowledge for new breakthroughs in cell therapy development.
Current single-cell multi-omics technologies fail to directly link a single cell’s multi-omics data to changes in its functional phenotype over time. This is where our innovative workflow excels. We enable to simultaneously analyze multiple phenotypes (cellular functions, intracellular protein expression, surface and secreted protein profiles), the cellular interactions of thousands of cells in highly parallelized manner and to link those insights directly to each cell’s underlying genetic and transcriptional makeup by retrieving specific cells of your interest from our CellCity Array Chip.
One Platform. Endless
Applications.
Cell-Cell Interactions
Study cellular communication at single-cell resolution, e.g. during EMT in cancer metastasis.
Cell Killing
Discover and explore serial killing events of individual CAR-T cells.
Cell Division
Use cell division as a functional readout to reveal the role of cell proliferation in disease.
PHAGOCYTOSIS
Visualize at single-cell resolution how, e.g. a macrophage phagocytoses a cancer cell.
WorkFlow
Simple workflow. Easy setup. Powerful research tool.
Step 1
Cell encapsulation:
Encapsulate individual, pairs, or groups of cells in a gel bead which acts as a protective and diffusible microenvironment. Work with a range of cell sizes, from prokaryotes to eukaryotes.
Step 2
Gel bead trapping:
Immobilize up to 2000 cell-laden gel beads in microfluidic traps on the CellCity Array Chip in order to form an array in which each gel bead is uniquely identified by its precisely defined position.
Step 3
Cell CULTURE:
Culture cells under tightly controlled conditions with the optional ability to stimulate cells. Monitor cell behaviour and function using time-lapse microscopy.
Step 4
Cell ANALYSIS:
Couple endpoint measurements with time-lapse data, while simultaneously capturing the responses of single cells in multiparametic analysis, such as time-lapse fluorescent imaging and immunohistochemistry.
Step 5
CELL RETRIEVAL:
Easily retrieve the gel beads in which the cells are contained for subsequent downstream analysis or cell expansion.
The workflow of CellCity is akin to the busy streets of any big city around the world, where we all meet, interact, observe, and change with the influence of the people we meet, the experiences we share, and the impacts we have on each other.
If you want to build your own cell city,
Take a look at the custom workflow services we provide
thesetup
The Software – The Brain – The Incubator – The Array Chip
Precision engineering makes CellCity a powerful analysis tool enabling functional phenomics, but its smart design is what makes it a seamless experience for the user. With its plug-and-play format, carefully planned components, and easy portability, the entire system can easily plug right into any inverted imaging system, lab setup, or study routine.
CELLCITY SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
User-friendly, proprietary PC-software communicates with the CellCity Control Unit to regulate and perform all essential workflow steps. Also, it helps researchers to minimize experimental steps and accelerate analyses in real-time.
- Built-in performance-checks ensure reliable and accurate assay outcomes
- Accelerates and simplifies workflows e.g. with cell counting and gel bead analysis tools
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-based position selection tool: CellCity Scout-AI, automatically select hundreds of positions of interest on the CellCity Array Chip for time-lapse imaging
THE INCUBATOR
ON YOUR INVERTED IMAGING SYSTEM
The CellCity Incubator holds the CellCity Array Chip and maintains the relevant experimental conditions for long-term, live-cell analysis.
- A complete, miniature incubator (37°C, 5% CO₂). No need for any other chamber.
- Designed in a microtiter plate format to fit on your inverted microscope setup.
- Controlled and optimized heating to work with low volumes and temperature sensitive samples
- The CellCity Incubator can be easily moved to a cell culture hood for uninterrupted sterile conditions and handling
THE CHIP
The CellCity Array Chip is a high-precision microfluidic device that places single, pairs and groups of cells into an array of gel beads for sterile culture and analysis. No microfluidics experience required
- Cell-laden gel beads are captured in the 425 microfluidic double-traps of 4 microfluidic channels to analyze up to 3400 gel beads at a time
- Accommodates different cell types and cell lines, in particular primary cells (e.g. HUVEC, breast cancer cells, brain tumors, CAR-T cells, macrophages, leukemia cells and even bacteria)
- Includes a high-resolution temperature sensor integrated at the cell culture site exactly where the correct temperature is needed
- Augments insights with endpoint data by making it easy to stain cells (e.g., immunostaining, surface staining) after time-lapse (fluorescent) imaging
THE BRAIN
CONTROL UNIT
The CellCity Control Unit automates all workflow steps essential for reliable cell culture and analysis and executes the experimental design through integrated control software.
- Powerful and fast, traps thousands of cell-laden gel beads on a CellCity Array Chip within a few minutes
- Light-weight, easily portable and designed for a quick plug-and-play setup
- Brings microfluidic cell culture to any lab (intuitive user experience, automated flow control and priming, bubble-free operation)
- Precision engineering delivers uniform perfusion to ensure homogeneous culture conditions
your advantages
More insights from every cell enabled by functional phenomics
CO-POSITION TWO CELLS
Easily enclose two cells in one bead to monitor communication & regulation
PRESERVE THE 3D SPACE AROUND CELLS
Easily control & maintain their chemical & cellular microenvironment
CONTROL YOUR EXPERIMENT
Quickly set, adjust, and change conditions to examine how cells respond
LINK A CELL’S GENES & FUNCTION
Track reporter genes and other modifications of single cells upon response to stimuli
USE YOUR EXISTING PROTOCOLS
No need to start from scratch. CellCity works with your current bioassays & imaging setup
GAIN COMPLEX INSIGHTS FAST
1 chip, 4 channels, 2000 beads. Generate large, meaningful datasets in each run
SEE PHENOTYPIC HETEROGENEITY IN POPULATIONS
Show phenotypic variation across time & space, and even track monoclonal cells
YOUR IDEAS. YOUR CELLS. YOUR ASSAY
Answer questions with rare, eukaryotic, prokaryotic, primary, or other cells
Conduct reliable live-cell studies
Gentle processing, uniform perfusion, and stable cultures ensure cell integrity & vitality
LOW CELL & SAMPLE INPUT
Impactful insights from as little as a 10 μl sample volume
NOT ANOTHER EXPENSIVE DEVICE
Boost the capabilities of your current microscope or confocal setup instead
USE REAGENTS EFFICIENTLY
Targeted and uniform perfusion culture saves reagents
(200 μl per condition per day)
REDUCE TIME-INTENSIVE WORK
A simple, robust, & partly hands-free workflow saves time and avoids reworks
BOOST YOUR VISIBILITY
Learn more from every study. Produce data faster. Publish insights sooner
LESS INPUT, LESS WASTE
Miniaturized assays result in powerful outcomes with huge power savings
COMPLETELY STERILE CELL HANDLING
The self-contained chip makes it easy to prevent contamination, even in shared labs
FLEXIBLE AND PORTABLE
Barely bigger than a book, CellCity is portable & easy to plug in wherever you need it
SIMPLE WORKFLOW FOR ANY USER
Designed for use in busy labs, anyone can prepare and run experiments with evorion
ETHICALLY ALIGNED
Fewer cells required for experiments, making applying the 3Rs easier
latest publications
CELLCITY: AN ADVANCED MACRO-TO-MICRO INTERFACE ENABLING MULTIMODAL ANALYSES AT SINGLE-CELL RESOLUTION
We recently published a paper in Advanced Materials Interfaces to highlight the microfluidic innovations applied in the CellCity System for functional phenomics. The article describes evorion’s technology in detail and outlines how our macro-to-micro interface allows...
VESICLE TRAFFIC BETWEEN ENDOTHELIAL AND BREAST CANCER CELLS
In a recently published study, Prof. Johannes A. Eble at the University of Münster investigated signaling between adjacent endothelial and breast cancer cells that may induce ectopic VE-cadherin expression in tumor cells. Using evorion CellCity, the research team...
