Revvity FilterMate Universal Cell Harvester

Overview

The Revvity FilterMate Universal Cell Harvester is a benchtop vacuum-driven cell harvesting system engineered for high-throughput, reproducible collection and washing of adherent or suspension cells from microplates in radiolabeled and luminescent assay workflows. Designed specifically for integration with liquid scintillation counting (LSC), gamma counting, and luminometric detection platforms—including MicroBeta® and TopCount® scintillation counters, Tri-Carb® LSC systems, and WIZARD® gamma counters—the FilterMate operates on the principle of controlled vacuum filtration through standardized filter membranes (e.g., UniFilter®, MicroBeta®-compatible filters, OmniFilter™). Its core architecture enables rapid, uniform transfer of cellular material onto solid-phase supports while minimizing cross-contamination, sample loss, and operator variability—critical requirements in GLP-compliant radioisotope-based assays such as ³H-thymidine incorporation, receptor binding, and cytotoxicity studies.

Key Features

• Plate Format Flexibility: Supports simultaneous processing of both 96-well and 24-well microplates—including shallow-well (e.g., tissue culture-treated) and deep-well (e.g., polypropylene) configurations—without hardware modification.
• Modular Base Unit: Interchangeable base plates allow rapid reconfiguration between 96-well and 24-well modes in under two minutes, ensuring lab-wide adaptability across assay development and routine QC protocols.
• Optimized Fluid Pathway: Short, low-volume fluid pathways reduce wash buffer consumption by up to 40% compared to legacy harvesters, improving reagent economy while maintaining >99.5% removal efficiency of unbound radiolabels or soluble ligands.
• Dual-Waste Management: Independent hot (radioactive) and cold (non-radioactive) waste lines minimize mixed-waste generation and simplify regulatory compliance with NRC and EPA radioactive material handling guidelines.
• Integrated Wash Mechanism: Precision-engineered wash manifold delivers consistent, pulse-free buffer flow across all wells, enabling efficient detachment of adherent cells without mechanical scraping—preserving membrane integrity and assay fidelity.
• Chemical Resistance: Stainless steel construction (UniFilter® and MicroBeta® variants) ensures long-term compatibility with harsh precipitants including trichloroacetic acid (TCA), commonly used in nucleic acid and protein precipitation steps prior to scintillation counting.

Sample Compatibility & Compliance

The FilterMate is validated for use with standard filter media including GF/C glass fiber, PVDF, and polyester-based membranes (e.g., PerkinElmer UniFilter®, Whatman GF/B, and Pall AcroPrep™). It complies with key international standards governing radiobioassay instrumentation, including ASTM D7281 (standard practice for liquid scintillation counting of environmental samples) and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 (general requirements for competence of testing and calibration laboratories). When operated with audit-trail-enabled software (e.g., MicroBeta® Trilux or Tri-Carb® 3110TR), the system supports 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for electronic records and signatures in regulated pharmaceutical and clinical research environments.

Software & Data Management

While the FilterMate itself is a standalone hardware platform with manual vacuum control, its operational consistency directly enables traceable, repeatable data acquisition downstream. When paired with Revvity’s MicroBeta® or TopCount® systems, full instrument integration is achieved via digital handshake protocols that log harvester batch ID, plate orientation, and wash cycle parameters into the counter’s audit trail. All associated count data—including CPM, DPM, and decay-corrected values—can be exported in CSV, XML, or LIMS-compatible formats for automated QA/QC reporting and statistical analysis in JMP, GraphPad Prism, or custom ELN systems.

Applications

• Cell Proliferation Assays: Quantification of ³H-thymidine or ¹⁴C-uridine uptake in mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes or tumor cell lines.
• Cytotoxicity Screening: Measurement of target cell lysis using ⁵¹Cr-release or radiolabeled nucleotide incorporation inhibition.
• Receptor Binding Studies: Filtration-based separation of bound vs. free radioligand in competitive saturation and kinetic binding assays.
• Nucleic Acid Degradation Assays: Monitoring endonuclease activity or DNA repair kinetics via TCA-precipitable counts.
• Adherent Cell Washing Stations: Standardized preparation of monolayers for downstream LSC, gamma spectroscopy, or autoradiography.

FAQ

Can the FilterMate be used with non-Revvity scintillation counters?
Yes—provided the filter format and diameter match standard specifications (e.g., 25 mm round or 96-well compatible square filters), the FilterMate is vendor-agnostic for physical transfer; however, software integration and automated parameter logging are optimized for Revvity detection platforms.
Is the system compatible with sterile or biosafety-level 2 (BSL-2) workflows?
The FilterMate is not certified for sterile operation; it is intended for use with fixed or chemically inactivated samples. For live-cell applications, users must implement external containment (e.g., biosafety cabinet placement) and validate decontamination protocols per institutional biosafety office requirements.
What maintenance is required to ensure long-term vacuum performance?
Monthly inspection of vacuum tubing, O-rings, and filter membrane seals is recommended; annual calibration of vacuum pressure sensors (if equipped) and verification of flow uniformity across all 96 channels using dye-tracer tests support ISO/IEC 17025 traceability.