A Medical Device Daily

WaferGen Biosystems (Fremont, California), a developer of gene expression, genotyping, cell biology and stem cell research systems, reported the signing of exclusive distribution agreements for the company’s SmartSlide Micro-Incubation System with Inbio (Wiltshire, UK), ScienceWerke (Singapore), and Westburg (Leusden, the Netherlands).

Each of the distributor agreements, which cover WaferGen’s entire family of SmartSlide Micro-Incubation System products, is renewable contingent on the achievement of target milestones. INBIO, ScienceWerke and Westburg are each leading distributors of innovative products and services to cell biologists and stem cell researchers in the life science markets within their geographic areas of focus.

WaferGen said its SmartSlide Micro-Incubation System is a first-of-its-kind family of integrated fluidics exchange micro-incubation products that work seamlessly with inverted microscopes. This breakthrough technology is enabling cell biology and stem cell researchers to conduct complex time lapse imaging studies to characterize, differentiate and proliferate cells, as well as grow stem, primary and other difficult to cultivate cells in consistently optimal physiological conditions.

“WaferGen’s signing of these key distributor agreements represents an important step in the company’s strategic efforts to expand customer adoptions of the SmartSlide Micro-Incubation System into new large target markets,” said Alnoor Shivji, WaferGen’s CEO and chairman.”

WaferGen has developed and is currently marketing the SmartSlide Micro-Incubation System, a first-of-its-kind family of integrated fluidics exchange micro-incubation products that work seamlessly with inverted microscopes.

The company said the technology is enabling cell biology and stem cell researchers to conduct complex time lapse imaging studies to characterize, differentiate and proliferate cells, as well as grow stem, primary and other difficult to cultivate cells in consistently optimal physiological conditions. As a result, this innovative system is allowing researchers to conduct their work smarter, faster and less expensively than with current equipment.

The core element of the SmartSlide Micro-Incubation System is the compact, sterile and disposable SmartSlide-6 Micro-Incubator which is designed to maintain cells at specific physiological conditions for prolonged cell or tissue imaging.

The SmartSlide-6 Micro-Incubator allows for programmable fluidics exchanging, enabling the delivery of up to six nutrient media and gas into each of its six individual wells in both intermittent and continuous perfusion modes.