Effortless and Automated Single-Cell Cloning

The Cloning Platform: highly-efficient single-cell cloning with minimal reagent usage

The automated modular Cloning Platform delivers a streamlined single-cell cloning workflow featuring ultra-low volume culture chambers.

  • Automate all tedious pipetting steps
  • Confidently document monoclonality with whole-chamber images
  • Maintain exceptional cell viability
  • Easily navigate the entire workflow with intuitive touchscreens
  • Compatible with a wide range of reagents

Clone Better with Less

Traditional methods are inherently wasteful

Traditional single-cell cloning methods, such as limiting dilution, are inherently wasteful and inefficient. They require unnecessary large amounts of expensive culture reagents for culturing single cells. Additionally, they lack an easy and reliably way to confirm that only a single cell has been plated in a well. Consequently, time, effort and reagents are indiscriminately applied across all wells, irrespective of knowing which wells contain truly clonal cultures.     

Limiting dilution cloning is wasteful as it requires 100s of µl of costly reagents per well with the majority of wells being non-clonal

Efficient single-cell cloning - miniaturised

Requiring only a fraction of reagents compared to traditional methods, the Cloning Platform delivers market-leading cloning efficiencies across diverse cell types.

From dispensing single cells into miniature low-volume culture chambers, to automatically feeding and harvesting only single-cell chambers, the system offers a streamlined and easy-to-use automation platform for single-cell cloning. It saves costs of expensive reagents and allows researchers to generate more clones with less

Cloning in GRIDs makes it easy to verify which chambers contain a single cell directly after plating, while discarding all non-clonal chambers. It requires only a fraction of reagents compared to other methods.

Consistent performance...

... with up to 25 x more clones per ml of culture medium

The Cloning Platform handles your single cells as gentle as manual pipetting. It requires significantly less amount of culture medium to obtain verified clonal cultures. In contrast, manual methods result in highly variable outcomes and lack assurance of clonality.  

The Cloning Platform delivers highly consistent and reproducible cloning results, while assuring clonality of derived cultures. In contrast, manual methods are highly variable and lack the assurance of clonality. The data shown represents cloning efficiency data for hiPSCs.
The Cloning Platform provides significantly more clones per ml culture medium compared to traditional limiting dilution cloning. The data shown represents the number of clones for hiPSCs.

IsoCell - much more than a single-cell dispenser

The isoCell instrument automates all liquid-handling. It dispenses cells, exchanges culture medium and harvests clonal cultures for downstream applications — without the need for tedious manual pipetting. With the isoCell, cells are handled using low pressure and low shear forces. Together with optional heating it delivers exceptional cell viability. And, all of this functionality sits within the most compact system on the market — the isoCell fits neatly into any cell culture hood without obstructing ongoing cell culture work. Now you can unlock consistent results in every experiment.

IsoHub - easily verify monoclonality and track your clones

After single cells are plated into GRID chambers they are imaged using the isoHub. Entire GRID chambers can be easily reviewed in the absence of optical edge effects typically associated with conventional culture plasticware. That way, you get absolute confidence in identifying chambers that contain a single cell. The isoHub also automates navigation through GRIDs and allows tracking of your selected clones, either using brightfield or fluorescent mode. What’s more, automated wireless data-transfer between the isoCell and isoHub guarantees a seamless and efficient workflow.

Image Capture System - document monolonality with whole-chamber images

The Image Capture System lets you document monoclonality and clonal outgrowth in a single click using whole-chamber imaging. Simply select GRID chambers that contain a single cell, and the imaging system records and documents your selection with a whole-chamber image. Users can easily take follow-up images of relevant chambers throughout the process to document clonal outgrowth. Moreover, image files are auto-named and sorted according to the chamber's details, providing a start-to-finish history of each single cell, for a fully transparent process record.

isoHub Fluorescence — 4 channels and 16 LED wavelengths to detect any fluorophore

The Cloning Platform features a CoolLED pE-4000 illumination system for fluorescence microscopy. Easily detect commonly used fluorescent molecules (GFP, RFP, DAPI, and more) thanks to the system’s 4 channels, 16 LED wavelengths, and a user-friendly control pad.

Application Note - Cloning hiPSCs

Explore how the Cloning Platform automates single-cell cloning of hiPSCs with market-leading cloning efficiency

Application Note - Cloning CHO-S

Learn about the automated and animal-component free cloning of CHO-S cells using the Cloning Platform

Frequently asked questions about the Cloning Platform

The system works equally well with adherent- and suspension cells. Several diverse cell types have been cloned successfully in GRIDs, including HEK, K562, Raji, CHO-K1, HT-1080, CHO-S, HCT116, various iPSC lines, embryonic stem cells and many more.

The Cloning Platform requires two separate consumables:

  1. cloneG kit (supplies all culture plastics and vessels for 18 cloning rounds)
  2. FC40STAR (immiscible liquid required for creating GRID chambers)

The isoCell is more than a dispenser. It also exchanges culture medium and harvests monoclonal cell lines from selected low-volume culture chambers in just a few clicks.

With just 210 x 230 x 300 mm, and a weight of 4.3 kg, the isoCell is extremely compact and easily fits inside any laminar flow hood, without obstructing other ongoing cell culture work.

Absolutely! The Cloning Platform is routinely used by our customers with cells requiring coatings. For specific questions on this, please get in touch with us.

All liquid handling requirements are performed by the isoCell, including dispensing cells, feeding and harvesting clonal colonies. It only requires the placement of a respective dish onto the isoCell’s bed and selecting the appropriate program on the touch screen.

Definitely – we offer different ways for trialling the system at your premises. Please get in touch with us to discuss the options.

You can find more information about the Cloning Platform in our resources as well as by directly contacting us – we are happy to answer all your questions!

Learn More

Want to find out more about our single-cell platforms? Contact one of our knowledgeable experts today, visit our resources page, or request a demo to see the platforms in action.