Partnership combines microfluidics, 3D live-cell imaging and AI in an accessible workflow solution

HAMBURG/MÜNSTER, Germany, (March 8, 2022)—Olympus, a leading global manufacturer of optical and digital precision technology, announced a partnership with evorion biotechnologies, a pioneer in advanced single-cell analysis using unique microfluidic systems. By merging evorion’s cutting-edge 3D hydrogel bead technology and Olympus’ leading microscope systems, the collaboration introduces a seamless and largely automated workflow solution to capture functional phenotypes of individual cells´ behavior over time. This workflow enables researchers to reveal novel insights into thousands of cell-cell interactions in a 3D microenvironment—facilitating advanced single-cell research across applications such as adoptive cell therapy, cancer research and immunology.

The combination of Olympus’ world-leading IXplore™ microscope systems and cellSens™ software with evorion’s innovative CellCity System and CellCity Scout-AI software makes high-resolution live-cell analysis applications both easy and accessible. By encapsulating thousands of single cells or cell pairs into hydrogel beads and immobilizing them on evorion’s CellCity Array Chip, researchers can monitor and image the functional phenotypes of cells in a physiologically relevant 3D microenvironment. High-resolution images of thousands of individual live cells are made possible by Olympus’ IXplore microscope systems, and the workflow can accommodate the IXplore Live, IXplore Spin or IXplore SpinSR system for exceptional 3D super-resolution imaging. Fast data analysis is facilitated by evorion’s advanced CellCity Scout-AI software, which uses AI algorithms to automatically select positions of interest on the CellCity Array Chip and send the trackable coordinates to the IXplore system for further in-depth imaging.

A powerful aspect of the workflow is the ability to perform multi-modal analyses at single-cell resolution, enabling researchers—for the first time—to correlate time-resolved functional phenotypes with immunostaining, single-molecule RNA FISH analysis in a highly parallelized manner. Biomedical researchers can now obtain a more holistic understanding of dynamic cell behavior to drive advances in therapeutics.

Dr. Sebastian Bühren, CEO of evorion biotechnologies, commented, “Early on we recognized the revolutionary impact that the CellCity platform could have on research fields like adoptive cell therapy, cancer immunotherapy and solid tumor treatment. We are excited to partner with Olympus, a renowned company with a global reach. Our partnership will allow us to bring our innovative platform to a wider audience and work together in advancing single-cell research by integrating the world-leading imaging systems of Olympus into our innovative CellCity workflow.”

Olympus has a history of designing world-class imaging systems to drive healthcare research forward. Both the IXplore microscope systems and cellSens software are designed to be modular, flexible and forward-thinking. That modularity and advanced engineering are mirrored in evorion’s groundbreaking CellCity platform, making the integration a natural fit. Olympus’ software and imaging platforms adapt to meet evolving research needs, while evorion’s AI-powered software solutions support single-cell tracking and facilitate the analyses needed to gain insights from simultaneous, multiparametric time-course data on thousands of cells.

Jan Barghaan, Strategic Marketing Manager at Olympus Europa, shared, “At Olympus, we recognize the rapid pace at which life science technology evolves. To match this progression, we have designed imaging systems that not only stay ahead of the curve but also synergize with cutting-edge technologies like those evorion has pioneered. Hand-in-hand with evorion, we want to create imaging and analytics platforms that bring innovations to the forefront—innovations that will serve the biomedical research community and ultimately accelerate healthcare.”

To learn more about the collaboration, visit evorion.de/olympus-partnership.

About EVIDENT

In 2022, Olympus Corporation spun off its Scientific Solutions Division, which included its life science and industrial solutions businesses, to establish a new company called Evident. Although our name is different, our expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and commitment to our customers, which defined us over the past 100 years, remain unchanged.

At Evident, innovation and exploration are at the heart of what we do. Committed to making people’s lives healthier, safer, and more fulfilling, we support our customers with solutions that solve their challenges and advance their work; whether it’s researching medical breakthroughs, inspecting infrastructure, or exposing hidden toxins in consumer products.

Evident’s industrial solutions range from microscopes and videoscopes to nondestructive testing equipment and X-ray analyzers for maintenance, manufacturing, and environmental applications. Backed by state-of-the-art technologies, Evident products are widely used for quality control, inspection, and measurement.

In life science, Evident empowers scientists and researchers through collaboration and cutting-edge solutions. We’re dedicated to meeting the challenges and supporting the evolving needs of our customers, continuing to advance a comprehensive range of microscopes for pathology, hematology, IVF, and other clinical applications as well as for research and education.

For more information, visit EvidentScientific.com.

About evorion biotechnologies

evorion has developed its innovative CellCity System, Kits, and Software Solutions that enable multi-modal analysis of thousands of cell-cell interactions in a 3D microenvironment at single-cell resolution. For the first time, researchers can connect every single cell’s functional phenotypes with secretion profile in temporal space and underlying genomic and transcriptional landscape. As a result, evorion’s technology facilitates unraveling novel insights into various complex biological molecular mechanisms that will boost translational research and developments in single-cell interceptive medicine. evorion also offers custom development services to access its unique, proprietary functional phenomics workflow to pharma and biotech industry partners. Learn more at www.evorion.de.

Olympus, the Olympus logo, IXplore and cellSens are trademarks of Olympus Corporation or its subsidiaries.