We are trying to get a microinjection system for the lab. We found one available through Tritech Research and the model is MINJ-1000. Have any labs been using this model? How is its quality?
Any other microinjection systems that you would like to recommend to us?
Thanks~
Kim
type MINJ-1000 and elegans into Google…pause (in anticipation)…hit the Carriage Return key and you find…errrrrrrr…not much, but this one group have published a JOVE article:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3253564/ (n.b. in the PMC article it doesn’t actually mention the microinjector, but in the JOVE article it does.
Send them a mail and ask…perhaps they say it’s good and then there could be two labs using it ( :o or are there more out there?).
Steve
Thanks, Steve. Sounds like not many labs are using this injection system. Could you please recommend a different one to us? Thanks a lot.
I think what it really boils down to is how much money your lab has available. You might be able to save costs by buying individual pieces (rather than a ‘complete’ solution), and also perhaps buy them used, too.
Check around to see if there’s an existing inverted microscope in your department. Maybe you can buy just the injection system to outfit that existing microscope? Other things to think about is cost for consumables. Some systems require a larger upfront cost but have a built-in air compressor system to get around the hassle of having to constantly refill N2 gas tanks (ex. Eppendorf FemtoJet). We use a Narashige setup with Leica optics and it’s been great.
Thanks, Snug. This is really helpful advice. Unfortunately, we don’t have an existing inverted microscope and have to get a new one. One good thing about the microinjection system from Tritech is that its microscope has a glide stage which is nice for adjusting the worm direction towards the needle. However, I just heard from someone that this glide stage actually is not easy to use (very hard to turn it around). see this link: http://www.tritechresearch.com/MINJ-1000.html
Does your Leica microscope have a glide stage?
Thanks.
I’ve not used that scope, but the glide stages I’ve used have been hard to rotate, at least to rotate significantly.
On the other hand, there is a solution: don’t rotate! I ind the most efficient way to inject is to line up all the worms on the pad so they’re basically parallel, in a few ranks of 3-4 worms. I can then make a pass with the needle injecting each worm; I don’t have to rotate the stage, and I don’t lose track as I move the stage side-to-side and then advance to the next row of worms. Actually, in one pass I inject half the worms, as half the worms will be dorsal-right (where the needle is) and half will be dorsal-left (where it isn’t!). But after making my pass through the injection pad I rotate it 180 degrees and do the other half. It takes a little longer to arrange the worms on the pad in this fashion, but not that much longer, and the greater speed while injecting makes up for it.
Like Snug suggested, it is a matter of how much money you are ready to spend.
The Tritech system is ok being equipped with Hoffmann contrast - not as good as DIC, but works somehow.
I imagine that proper DIC might improve your success rate, but that comes with a significantly higher price tag.
The glide stage is indeed not easy to turn round, but aligning the worms properly on the injection pad resolves the need for turns. Straight moves are possible, without bigger issues.
Eppendorf has hopefully improved their design by now - but a Femtojet system bought 8 years ago, broke down constantly, an experience shared by several other labs.
We inject ~100 constructs/year and the N2 container required for the Tritech set-up lasts for years.
Still - as we don’t have access to a needle puller, we bought the Tritech adapter that takes Eppendorf’s Femto-tips.
Cha
We have a basic Zeiss inverted microscope with DIC optics and an easily moveable glide stage (cost ~14,000USD 5 years ago). To this we added the manual Narshige micro manipulator and an Eppendorf Femtojet that uses N2 gas, but regulates it better than just going with a tank alone. It’s a cheaper model of the Femtojet because you use the N2 gas rather than the air compressor. In my grad lab, we had a Nikon inverted scope (also DIC optics), an old-school Zeiss micro manipulator (joystick style), and just a tank of N2. Both worked well.
Thank you all for the very helpful advice!!!
Our budget for the microinjection system (inverted microscope, gas tank, needle puller, manipulator, and a simple stereomicroscope) is only $20,000.
Our injection setup is currently this: Olympus IX51 inverted, IM-31 system with the MMN-1 coarse manipulator and the MMO-202ND micromanipulator.
$20k isn’t going to get you very far if you want nice brand new things. I think you should consider used equipment and maybe teaming up with someone at your institution that might have a need for injections (doesn’t have to be worm people!).
I just pulled up an old quote (3y ago), our microscope alone cost us around $20k. Poked around and found old quote for a femtojet system and it was around $10k.
Thanks a lot, Snug. Just curious. where do people buy used equipment?
There’s tons of used lab equipment websites, and there may be a used equipment store geographically near you, too (Google is your friend!). eBay also sometimes has some goodies on there.
Also, some manufacturers sell certified refurbished stuff too, which can be much cheaper and have a warranty etc. (ex. Eppendorf).
Thanks! Never thought of getting used equipment. Don’t know if these used equipment are trustable.
I agree, $20K isn’t going to get you far if you need the microscope too.
Companies tend to sell demo units at lower prices, so you could look into that as well. They usually warranty them as well. I think that’s the key - just make sure if you buy a used or refurbished piece of equipment it has a good warranty (at least 1 year). If they haven’t fixed the problem, it should present itself within the first year.
Same is probably true of the microinjection setup - demo units are probably cheaper.
I’m here in Boston, and many new labs like to get things from Cambridge Scientific, which has used and refurbished equipment. I believe they have a good warranty as well, but don’t quote me on that. Our former lab manager bought a microscope for counting cells from there, and it was significantly cheaper than a new one. It’s in great working condition. Of course, since we are local we didn’t have to pay shipping, so I’m not sure what that additional cost would be. Here’s the link.
Good luck!
Thanks a lot for the information and link. We really appreciate your help! Have a great weekend.
Kim
One can also get refurbished microscopes for a discount, as well as getting cheaper older scopes that aren’t as pricey.
Vermont Optechs (www.scopeshop.com) is such a place.