Prof. Shu-Chuan Liao is teaching at the National Taiwan University.
She also does research in artificial and synthetic biomedical materials. Her focus is on the development and property analysis of materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers, material interface phenomena, thin film technology, biosensing and biochips. Another field of her work are advanced healthcare polymers.
While searching for a new device to replace a broken spectrometer, Prof. Liao came across the fluidlab R-300. She uses the fluidlab's spectrometer to monitor bacterial cultures, but also uses it to count and assess the viability of mammalian cells.
In this interview she reports on her work with the fluidlab R-300.
anvajo: Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview. How did you hear about our fluidlab R-300?
Prof. Liao: The device we usually use for O.D. measurements is out of order. We have been looking for something similar that we can use to perform the measurement. Miss Chen from DKSH Taiwan recommended the fluidlab R-300 to us. That was when we first heard about anvajo.
anvajo: How did you work before using the fluidlab?
Prof. Liao: To measure the growth of bacterial cells, like E. coli, we used a spectrophotometer. Here we measured the absorbance at 600 nm. In cell culture we used an automated cell counter, but we also counted the cells manually.
anvajo: What advantages does the fluidlab have over your previous method?
Prof. Liao: In cell culture it is a great advantage that we don’t need to use trypan blue to measure the cell viability. It saves time and the cells are not exposed to toxic substances. The fluidlab counts cells very fast, in less than 30 seconds. We also found that the spectrophotometer of the fluidlab, which we use for bacterial measurement like growth of E.coli, is more accurate than the one we used before.
anvajo: Were you satisfied with the repeatability of our fluidlab?
Prof. Liao: We repeated our tests with the fluidlab several times and the results were entirely accurate. There were little to no differences in the results, the repeatability was very reliable.
anvajo: Have you also created a calibration curve with the instrument?
Prof. Liao: Yes, I have and it has the advantage that I don’t have to create a standard curve with excel, as the fluidlab R-300 already has this function. This simplifies the work and safes time. anvajo: Using the spectrometer, did the automatic calculation of the concentration by the fluidlab R-300 help you?
Prof. Liao: For us, the automatic calculation was a nice benefit. It makes work faster since we don’t need to use external tools to calculate the concentration.
anvajo: What samples did you use for your measurements?
Prof. Liao: We used cells like fibroblasts and osteoblasts for the cell counter application and bacteria like E. coli and protein solutions like BSA for the spectrometer.
anvajo: What did you notice in direct comparison with the reference photometers?
Prof. Liao: We noticed that we can shift the wavelength from 375 to 700 nm on the touch screen. It gives us the same reliable results as our reference photometers, but is way smaller and more convenient as the other one.
anvajo: What did you particularly like about the fluidlab R-300?
Prof. Liao: It can be used for cell culture and bacterial cultivation at the same time, which is very convenient. The device is easy to handle, we get fast results, the measurement can be performed independent from the location and the instrument does not take up much space beneath the sterile workbench.
anvajo: Thank you very much for the interview and the insight into your work with the fluidlab R-300!
You liked this interview with Prof. Liao? Here you find more information about the cell counter and spectrometer of the fluidlab.
In our last user interview with Dr. Erik Klapproth, he tells us which new experiments he is already planning with the fluidlab R-300!
