The hemocytometer (or haemocytometer) is a cell counting chamber originally designed for counting blood cells. The hemocytometer was invented by Lousi-Charles Malassez and consists of a thick glass microscope slide with a rectangular indentation that creates a chamber. This chamber is engraved with a laser-etched grid of perpendicular lines. The device is carefully crafted so that the area bounded by the lines and the depth of the chamber are known. By observing a defined area of the grid it is possible to count the number of cells or particles in a specific volume of fluid, and thereby calculate the concentration of cells in the fluid overall. A common type of hemocytometer is the Neubauer counting chamber.
The conventional haemocytometer slide posed a few operational challenges. It was cumbersome to clean and also required a coverslip. To eliminate this inconvenience NanoEntek invented the C-chip . The C-chip is a special disposable slide which does not require coverslips. It reduces time and preparation effort and yet still produces accurate results.
Through the years cell counting has become increasingly more important and central to many medical and research applications. This created a need for a more efficient method of cell counting. In response, NanoEntek created the Countess Automatic Cell Counter. This instrumented reduced the time and effort of cell counting. The Countess became a well known ODM product and sold more than 10,000 devices wordlwide. This effectively launced the Automatic Cell Counter market.
Since the release of the Countess, NanoEntek has continued to develop the automatic cell counter improving features like cell viability analysis and automated image analysis. They have also improved their graphical display and allowing users to view realtime data and export through email or an external hard drive.
Some of the cell counting products by NanoEntek include the disposable hemocytometer C-chip 4ch, one of the fastest cell counters known as the EVE Plus, and the ADAM-MC2 which uses the PI staining technique. Recently they have also released the ADAM-CellT which complies with 21 CFR part 11.
