A Guide to Micromanipulation Equipment

Micromanipulators are devices designed to transfer larger scale movements (say from a hand (or even a finger)) to a microscale to allow for the physical interaction with small objects that are being viewed under a microscope. This technology is applied in fields as diverse as microelectronics assembly to in vitro fertilization. In the Life Sciences micromanipulators are used primarily for experiments that require manipulating individual cells. This includes techniques such as patch-clamping, cellular enucleation and microinjection experiments as well as a host of others. The experimental set-up for these types of applications vary slightly from technique to technique but in general it includes: a micromanipulator, a control device, a probe and a microscope.

Micromanipulation Setup:

Micromanipulators and Controllers: Perhaps the most important piece of equipment in these experiments is the micromanipulator itself. Many applications will require more than a single micromanipulator, each controlling a separate probe, one micropipette for holding a cell and one for manipulation for example. Each micromanipulator will be equipped with a Controller whose mechanics are critical for the fine motion control needed for these kinds of experiments. Currently there are some Controllers on the market that can control more than one micromanipulators which saves on space and can make set-up easier.

Inverted Microscope: Experiments involving micromanipulators require a microscope to view the samples being handled thus a good Inverted Microscope is a key component in these techniques. It’s important to ensure that the right objectives are available in order to ensure the proper field of view and recent developments in digital inverted microscopes make it possible to not only view the sample as it is being manipulated but to also record iit too.

Micromanipulator Probe Tips: The type of Probe Tip used will vary according to your experimental aims. Here you can find a variety of Microinjectors and Micropipette Pullers from different manufacturers.

Laser Capture Microdissection Instruments: For some experiments there is a need to isolate single cells from tissue on a slide; this is what a Laser Capture Microdissection system is designed to do. These systems can vary on the types of specimens they work best on as well as the types of downstream applications the captured cells can be used for.