Our OLYMPUS Provi CM20 incubation monitoring system collects more than quantitative cell culture data—it also collects awards! We’re proud to announce that our automated cell culture system has been named a bronze winner in the 2021 Edison Awards for the Cellular Research and Disease Prevention category.
Read on to learn more about the honor and the thoughtful design approach that led to the achievement.
What Are the Edison Awards?
The Edison Awards recognize and honor excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design, and innovation.
Named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) whose product design methods earned him 1,093 US patents and changed the way we live and work, an Edison Award is one of the most prestigious accolades in the business world. Winners are chosen by fellow trailblazers and inventors. More than 3,000 top business executives, academics, and innovation professionals across the world cast their vote for innovations of superior quality.
Winning bronze status in the Edison Awards for the CM20 monitoring system demonstrates our commitment to delivering smart, innovative solutions that change the world around us and contribute to a better society for all.
So how did we design this award-winning cell culture monitoring system?
Designing a Renowned Remote Cell Culture Monitoring Device
We’re always looking for new ways to help scientists and researchers improve processes, overcome challenges, and meet goals by designing and manufacturing high-quality life science systems. Our innovations start with the most important part of our business: the customer.
We ran extensive customer studies and identified the need for a more quantitative and efficient cell culture process. As we began the product prototype, we gathered customer feedback and collaborated with external companies to quickly make a final design that overcame common workflow challenges.
In a traditional cell culture workflow, users must check the cell conditions—including cell morphology, confluency, and count—by taking samples out of the cell culture incubator and observing them under a microscope every 2–3 days. This process is cumbersome, manual, and qualitative, leading to increased workloads, higher costs, and cell quality results that vary depending on the user.
We used these challenges as inspiration to design a more streamlined solution. Our CM20 monitoring system combines remote cell observation, automated image acquisition, and AI-powered cell quantification to improve efficiency and accuracy in cell culture.
How Does the CM20 Incubation Monitoring System Work?
The CM20 incubation monitoring system provides quantitative cell culture data remotely. Just place the head and cell cultures in the incubator. The system will periodically scan it, count the number of cells, and determine confluency. Data is wirelessly communicated to a PC or tablet, so you can monitor cultures without entering the cleanroom.
Think of this automated cell culture system as your helpful assistant, working tirelessly to deliver:
- Label-free, quantitative results
- Consistent results throughout your lab
- A cost-effective workflow
The Value of Automated Cell Culture Equipment
Cell culture is growing in importance thanks to prolific innovations in science and research. One example is the advancement of cell therapy through gene editing technology and stem cell studies.
At the end of the day, the quality of cell therapy relies highly on the quality of cells, so we expect the demand for solutions that keep cell culture stable to increase. Our award-winning CM20 monitoring system contributes to a stable and quantitative cell culture process, and we hope it will serve as an inspiration as science moves forward.
Lee Wagstaff, Vice President of Life Science Sales and Marketing at Olympus Corporation of the Americas, commented on the achievement:
“We are honored to be recognized for the breakthrough technology of the CM20 incubation monitoring system and the value it brings to the cell culture market,” said Lee. “I look forward to seeing its impact on cell culture as the industry enters a new era of innovation, scientific discoveries, and productivity.”
Learn more about the Edison Awards and see the full list of winners here.
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