The Maestro Pro multiwell microelectrode array (MEA) and impedance system is our most advanced offering, designed for the workload of larger labs. Record from our 6-, 24-, 48-, and 96-well MEA plates, and 96- and 384-well impedance plates. Maestro Pro allows for non-invasive evaluation of your cells in an easy-to-use in vitro assay. Whether monitoring the intricate, electrical activity of excitable cells (e.g. neurons and cardiomyocytes), or tracking the growth and death of cancer cells, Maestro Pro allows you to investigate the functionality of your cells in a multiwell plate.
Key Features
The complete platform
- Measure cellular activity label-free and real-time – The Maestro Pro detects key parameters of neural network activity, cardiac functionality, and cell growth, death and attachment.
- Precisely control the cells environment – Cells are a product of their environment. Maestro Pro has a smart environmental chamber that finely controls temperature and CO₂ while rejecting electrical noise and mechanical vibrations.
- Connect to your network – 768 simultaneous live recordings from your cells with the Neural and Cardiac modules. Now you can understand life’s circuitry label free in real time in 6-, 24-, 48-, or 96-well plates.
- Continuous cell monitoring – 384 simultaneous live recordings from your cells with the Impedance module. Track cell proliferation, morphology, and viability in real-time in 96- or 384-well plates.
- See your cells – Sometimes you just want to look at your cells under a microscope. Maestro’s CytoView patented transparent circuit technology allows cell visualization and assay multiplexing.
- Control cellular activity – Recreate specific patterns of cellular activity using electrical stimulation or light pulses (with the Lumos optical stimulation system)
- Start your assay with the push of a button – “One button setup,” means temperature and CO₂ levels automatically adjust on plate docking. Plate usage is logged via an integrated plate barcode scanner for convenient experiment tracking.
- Monitor the kinetics of your biology on your smartphone – No need to be in lab. With the Impedance module, track changes in cell proliferation, viability, and cell killing over minutes or weeks.
The complete multiwell MEA system
The evaluation of electrically-active cells has historically been tedious, requiring months of training to painstakingly study single cells in low throughputs. By culturing a network of cells over the high electrode count arrays available in each well of our MEA plates, Axion BioSystems’ Maestro Pro multiwell MEA system captures activity across an entire population of cells, with far greater data points per well, detecting activity patterns that would otherwise elude traditional assays. Axion’s contribution to establishing microelectrode array (MEA) technology as an accessible, versatile research tool cannot be defined by a single advantage. It’s the cumulative effect of our commitment to growing our multiwell MEA system to include instruments, accessories and software working in unison.
…and impedance system, all in one platform
Cell-based assays enable rapid evaluation of human biology in vitro, with substantial advantages in throughput and cost over tissue or animal models. However, many cell-based assays are endpoint assays, limited to a single snapshot in time. Axion BioSystems’ Maestro Pro platform also offers impedance-based cell analysis for real-time, continuous, label-free monitoring of your cells. Continuous data reveals the kinetics of cell-cell interactions and cell-drug responses for better mechanistic understanding without the time- and cost-intensive process of repeating multiple endpoint assays.
Overview
The Maestro Pro system allows you to capture the complex biology of your cells. Whether monitoring the kinetics of cellular growth and death or recording the activity of excitable cells; the Maestro Pro can help you record it noninvasively, in real time, and with software tools to make analysis quick and painless.
Customize your Maestro Pro system for your assay needs:
Software
The Maestro Pro platform is available with seven software modules: Neural, Cardiac, MEA Automation, Impedance, GxP Impedance, and Impedance Automation. Select the software modules to match your assay needs:
Neural – Measure the key parameters of neural network function, including activity (are the neurons functional?), synchrony (are the synapses functional?), and oscillation (is the network functional?).
Cardiac – Record the four key measures of functional cardiac performance, label free and in real time in every well of the multiwell plate: action potential (a.k.a. LEAP assay); field potential; propagation; and contractility.
MEA Viability – Measure cell viability and coverage on MEA plates for a complete structure-function assay.
MEA Automation – Automate Cardiac and Neural MEA assays with this API for interfacing with liquid handling platforms.
Impedance – Track cell proliferation, morphology, and viability label-free and in real-time. Ideal for immuno-oncology, cytotoxicity, virology, cell migration, cell proliferation, GPCR assays, and many more.
GxP Impedance – Achieve FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance in GMP/GLP labs with this version of the Impedance Software Module.
Impedance Automation – Automate impedance assays with this API for interfacing with liquid handling platforms.
Consumables
All of Axion’s MEA and impedance assay multiwell plates can be used with the Maestro Pro system. Select the multiwell plates to match your assay needs:
CytoView MEA – The premium Maestro MEA plate with a transparent well bottom for cell visualization and assay multiplexing. Available in 96-, 48-, 24-, and 6-well plate formats.
BioCircuit MEA – Maestro MEA plates with an opaque well bottom delivering high-quality results at the lowest cost per well. Available in 96-, 48-, 24-well plate formats.
Lumos MEA – Maestro MEA plates designed for use with the Lumos system, featuring a transparent well bottom and light-focusing lid. Available in 96-, 48-, 24-well plate formats.
CytoView-Z – The Maestro impedance plate with a transparent well bottom for cell visualization and assay multiplexing. Available in 384- and 96-well plate formats.
Peripherals
Lumos is a multiwell light stimulation system for optogenetic assays, that pairs with the Maestro Pro. The Maestro Pro platform is compatible with all three formats of the Lumos optical stimulation system.
Select the Lumos system to match your assay needs:
Lumos 96 – For use with Lumos MEA 96 plates. The Lumos 96 system has two LEDs per well (green and blue).
Lumos 48 – For use with Lumos MEA 48 plates. The Lumos 48 system has four LEDs per well (red, orange, green and blue).
Lumos 24 – For use with Lumos MEA 24 plates. The Lumos 24 system has four LEDs per well (red, orange, green and blue).
Related Applications
- Antiviral Drug Studies – Evaluate the antiviral effects of test compounds by tracking real-time changes in cytopathic effects
- Barrier Function – Monitor cell barrier integrity using a TEER (transepithelial or transendothelial resistance) assay
- Cardiac Classification – Predict the cardiomyocyte subtype using the action potential waveform in the LEAP assay
- Cardiac Development – Track cardiac differentiation and maturation over weeks and determine when cardiomyocytes start to beat and form a syncytium
- Cardiomyocyte Pacing – Control cardiomyocyte beat rate with optical or electrical stimulation to increase the physiological relevance of the assay
- Cardiotoxicity and Safety – Evaluate the proarrhythmic risk of compounds in acute and chronic exposure experiments in CiPA-style studies
- Cell Migration and Invasion – Track cell migration and proliferation for advanced metastatic cancer or wound-healing studies
- Cell Proliferation – Reveal the kinetics of cellular proliferation and for improved insights of cell models
- Cell Signaling – Measure the dynamics of GPCR cell signaling over minutes to hours label free
- Cytotoxicity and Cell Viability – Evaluate cell viability and characterize the cytotoxic properties of compounds in acute and chronic exposure experiments
- Immuno-oncology – Evaluate killing kinetics of immune cells (e.g. CAR T or NK) at physiologically relevant effector cell to target cell ratios
- Inotropy – Characterize compound-induced effects on cardiomyocyte inotropy and excitation-contraction coupling
- Neural Characterization and Development – Monitor neural development and quantify network dynamics to identify unique properties of your culture
- Neural Circuit and Innervation – Track neural innervation and functional network formation between two discrete cell populations
- Neural Co-culture and Glial Interaction – A wide variety of neurons and other cells exist and interact together and the composition of a neural culture can alter development and disease progression.
- Neural Optical and Electrical Stimulation – Evoke neural activity with optical or electrical stimulation
- Neural Organoids – Measure neural activity from live neural organoids and characterize advanced network behavior
- Neurological Disease – Explore the role your gene of interest has on neural network activity in patient-derived iPSCs or animal models
- Neuromuscular Junction – Record evoked skeletal myotube activity in functional iPSC-derived neuromuscular junctions
- Neurotoxicology and Safety – Characterize the neuroactive properties of compounds in acute and chronic exposure experiments
- Pain – Measure modulations of DRG neuron activity in response to chemical or temperature stimuli
- Retina – Record light-evoked electrical activity from primary retina slices and iPSC-derived retinal organoids
- Viral Titer – Quantify the infectious virus in a sample by monitoring the cytopathic effects in real time
- Zebrafish – Track neural activity, from zebrafish brain and spinal cord, label free
