CherryTemp —
Fast temperature shift during live cells imaging device

It is a strong point of our CherryTemp system to ensure temperature precision but also homogeneity and stability over time. The temperature homogenous on the sample area with a 0.2°C precision given that the distance between our thermalization unit and your sample remains under 0.5mm (500µm).

This is excellent specifications compared to most systems where there can be several degrees difference and big homogeneity problems, which can become worse with the heat sink of immersion objectives or the extra heating of halogen lamps.

We use a combination of several methods for extra accuracy, combining a thermal camera to validate all manufactured systems, micro-electrodes deposition at the sample location (see 4-points electrode deposit method), numerical algorithms and biological confirmation experiments as a last check (thermosensitive mutants for instance).

Our innovation relies on coupling a temperature calibration of our systems and a smart algorithm taking into account all the sources of heat lost: the room temperature fluctuations and the heat sink played by the objective lens.

We performed several experiments and set up two specific calibrations whether an immersion objective was in contact with the coverslip or not. Our software integrates these data and calculates a correcting factor depending on the type of objective lense you will use for your experimentation. As a consequence, the temperature you set in the software is exactly the one that is experienced by your cells.

No, we constantly monitor the temperature of the objective lense with a sensor. A feedback loop adjusts in real-time our algorithm to ensure a 0.3°C stability whatever are the temperature fluctuations.

Thanks to our dual-channel heat exchangers, a shift between two temperatures takes few seconds (10 seconds) and does not rely on the starting or ending setting. It means that it takes 10 seconds both for a 5°C delta change or a 40°C delta change.

This is a physical parameter that no system can avoid but which is absent when using immersion objective lenses. This phenomenon is limited when a robust air condition is used in the microscope room.

We worked to limit evaporation by providing a dedicated spacer (a silicon elastomer) that you simply put on the coverslip. It creates a well where cells and medium can be pipetted. When our thermalization chip comes on top, it creates a closed chamber which limits evaporation over time.