Q. How does the QUANTOM Tx™ count cells?
A. The QUANTOM Tx™ counts fluorescence-stained microbial cells through automated fluorescence imaging and analysis.
Q. What kinds of cells does the QUANTOM Tx™ count?
A. The QUANTOM Tx™ is optimized to count bacterial cells, but may be able to count other cell types.
Q. How long does the QUANTOM Tx™ take to count?
A. It takes ~1 minute per sample when capturing and analyzing 20 images.
Q. What size cells can the QUANTOM Tx™ detect?
A. Cells ~0.3-50 μm can be counted.
Q. What is the QUANTOM Tx™ counting range?
A. The QUANTOM Tx™ can count samples with concentrations in the range of 1 x 105 to 1 x 109 cells/mL.
The optimal range is 5 x 105 to 5 x 108 cells/mL.
Q. Can I buy the QUANTOM Tx™ without the QUANTOM™ Centrifuge?
A. The QUANTOM™ Centrifuge is crucial for distributing cells along a single plane for accurate counting with the QUANTOM Tx™.
Q. Can I use different slides with the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. No. Bacteria are small and need to be loaded into special chambers for even distribution. QUANTOM™ M50 Cell Counting Slides have been designed specifically for microbes for use with the QUANTOM Tx™ and the QUANTOM™ Centrifuge.
Q. Can I do viability measurements with the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. No. To obtain viability information, two separate counts will have to be performed with two different stains and calculations be made by hand.
Q. What is the magnification of the objective used in the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. 10X.
Q. What are the excitation/emission spectra of the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. Ex 470/30 nm, Em 530/50 nm.
Q. What kind of image sensor is in the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. It is a highly sensitive 1/3” CMOS sensor.
Q. What is the counting area and volume of the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. When capturing and analyzing 20 images, the QUANTOM Tx™ counts cells within 3.46 mm2. As the QUANTOM™ M50 Cell Counting Slide has a chamber height of 50 μm, the measuring volume of 20 images is approximately 0.17 μL.
Q. How many fields of view are captured for image analysis?
A. 1-20 different fields of view can be captured. This can be adjusted as desired in the Settings: Counting Options.
Q. How often do I have to calibrate the QUANTOM Tx™?
A. The QUANTOM Tx™ comes precalibrated so it does not need to be calibrated again before use. Calibrate the instrument after each software update.