City University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Engineering Limited

Dynacity Technology (hk) Limited

Dong Sun

Shuxun Chen

Dongfang Li

Liuxi Xing

Ran Wang

Fei Pan

Lidai Wang

Yingxin Huo

Wah Shing Lam

Qiqiang Hu

Yutong Wu

Tao Luo

Kangning Cui

Yang Jiao

Pan Liao

Xiaolin Wang

Tanyong Wei

Hon-Fu Raymond Chan

Lei Fan

Wendi Gao

Yu Ting Chow

Xianyin Shao

Yachao Zhang

In cell instance segmentation of an original cell image obtained by microscopy, the original cell image is rotated by a rotation angle to yield a rotated cell image. A first machine-learning model for cell instance segmentation processes the original and rotated cell images such that effectively, horizontal and oblique boxes are used in bounding cells of the original cell image for enhancing cell-segmentation accuracy. A set of predictions is generated for each cell instance identified from the original and rotated cell images, yielding a plurality of sets of predictions for all cell instances. The plurality of sets of predictions is processed to remove any set having predicted space not simply connected, any unwanted set classified by a second machine-learning model as a poor indicator according to a certain performance criterion, and any redundant set. The plurality of sets of predictions then produces a segmentation map for the original cell image.

Method for accurate segmentation of unstained living adherent cells in differential interference contrast images

One embodiment includes an electromagnetic device for generating a magnetic field in a workspace. The electromagnetic device includes an elongated sleeve defining a hollow space and having an external surface, a magnetic core, and an electric coil wounded onto the external surface of the elongated sleeve and configured to generate the magnetic field when energized. The magnetic core has a first end, a second end, and a middle portion that is disposed between the first end and the second end and received in the hollow space. The first end is provided with a core tip that is shaped substantially as a cone and has a cone radius greater than zero.

Electromagnetic devices, electromagnetic actuation systems, and methods thereof for gradient enhancement

Two or more micropipettes are used to increase a microinjection throughput in an automated system for microinjecting adherent cells on a Petri dish. In the system, a motorized stage carrying the Petri dish sequentially visits the cells according to an optimized injection sequence. The sequence is selected by minimizing a total distance traveled by the motorized stage such that each cell is visited once by one of the micropipettes. Using multiple micropipettes advantageously reduces the minimized total distance over using a single micropipette to thereby increase the throughput. The optimized injection sequence is obtained by solving an equality-generalized traveling salesman problem. Each micropipette is mounted on a motorized micromanipulator. The motorized stage and motorized micromanipulators operate coordinately that each micromanipulator goes down or up during movement of the motorized stage to compensate for unevenness between a focus plane and a moving trajectory of the motorized stage.

Automated system for high-throughput microinjection of adherent cells

An articulated finger. The articulated finger comprises a first phalange; a second phalange; a self-locking joint coupling the first phalange to the second phalange, wherein the self-locking joint is configured to allow motion in a first rotational direction of the first phalange relative to the second phalange and prevent motion in a second rotational direction of the first phalange relative to the second phalange, wherein the first rotational direction is opposite the second rotational direction; and a compliant actuator configured to actuate the first phalange in the first rotational direction relative to the second phalange.

Articulated actuated finger with self-locking joints

A method of making a magnetically-drivable microrobot that is suitable for carrying and delivering cells includes photo-curing a photo-curable material composition to form a body of the magnetically-drivable microrobot. The photo-curable material composition includes a degradable component, a structural component, a magnetic component, and a photo-curing facilitation composition including a photoinitiator component and a photosensitizer component.

Magnetically-drivable microrobot

One embodiment provides a method for controlling a microagent in a workspace. The method includes providing a plurality of magnetic sources and generating a rotating gradient magnetic field by activating the plurality of magnetic sources differently such that a driving force is created to drive the microagent towards an aggregation center in the workspace.

Methods and apparatus for microagent control

An electromagnetic device for manipulating a magnetic-responsive robotic device, and an electromagnetic apparatus incorporate one or more such electromagnetic device. The electromagnetic device includes a magnetic corehaving a first portion and a second portion extends from one side of the first portion. The first portion has a first cross section and defining a first central axis. The second portion has a second cross section smaller than the first cross section, and defines a second central axis parallel to the first central axis. A first electromagnetic coil is arranged around the first cylindrical portion. A second electromagnetic coil is arranged around the second cylindrical portion.

Electromagnetic device for manipulating a magnetic-responsive robotic device

An apparatus for patterning biological cells, and a method of patterning and coculturing biological cells using the apparatus. The apparatus includes a fluidic structure having an outlet and a plurality of inlets, the fluidic structure is arranged to facilitate a flow of a plurality of different cells in a cell suspension therethrough, wherein each of the plurality of inlets is arranged to facilitate a loading of the plurality of different cells from a plurality of supplies into the fluidic structure; and a flow controlling device arranged to control the flow of the plurality of different cells through the fluidic structure and/or the loading of the plurality of different cells from the plurality of supplies through the plurality of inlets; wherein the fluidic structure is further arranged to facilitate a simultaneous observation of the plurality of different cells arranged in a predetermined pattern in the fluidic structure.

Apparatus and a method for patterning biological cells

A magnetically controllable robotic device including a body having a first body part and a second body part movably connected with the first body part. The first body part and the second body part are both rigid. The first body part is magnetically-responsive such that the first body part can be controlled by an external magnetic field generated by an magnetic control system. The first body part may be controlled such that the magnetically controllable robotic device is moved by the external magnetic field.

Magnetically controllable robotic device and its method of making

A system for manipulating a biological sample, and a method for operating such a system. The system includes an imaging device arranged to image a biological sample; a controller operably connected with the imaging device for processing the images obtained by the imaging device; and a tool manipulation device operably connected with the controller and arranged to be connected with a tool for manipulating the biological sample. The controller is arranged to control operation of the tool manipulation device based on the processing of the images.

Imaging and manipulation of biological sample

The present invention is concerned with a system of delivering particles of nano-scale into mammalian cells with a diameter of 50 &#x3bc;m or less. The system has a container containing the mammalian cells, the particles, a pressure-exerting member for generating transient apertures of substantially 1-200 nm on surface of the cells, a magnetic mechanism configured to generate a magnetic force to act on the pressure-exerting member thus to move the pressure exerting member, a control mechanism for effecting movement of the pressure-exerting member in a predetermined motion pattern, a measuring mechanism configured to indicate magnitude of pressure exerted on surface of the mammalian cells, and a monitoring mechanism.

System and method for delivery of substance into mammalian cells

The present invention is concerned with a system for fusion at least two cells. The system has an optical tweezers system for generating moving optical traps for manipulating the cells, an optical scissors system for cutting cell membrane of the cells and inducing fusion of the cells, an incubation system for providing cell culture in which the cells suspend and cell culture environment for the cells, and a visual detection system allowing visual monitoring of the cells undergoing fusion.

System and method for fusing cells

The present invention is concerned with a system for sorting target particles from a flow of particles. The system has a microscope, a light source, a CCD camera, microfluidic chip device with microfluidic channels, a detection apparatus for detecting the target particles with predefined specific features, a response generating apparatus for generating a signal in response to the detection of the target particles, and an optical tweezing system for controlling movement of optical traps, the optical tweezing system is operably linked to the response signal.

Methods and means for manipulating particles

A modular multi-axis motion control and driving system includes a control board having a DSP and Flash ROM; a plurality of driver boards connected to the control board though a bus, each board including a FPGA device and a plurality of MOSFET power amplifiers; a computer, connected to the control board provides a graphic user interface through which motor setting, current and position control loop tuning and diagnostic may be performed. A DSP program, system parameters and FPGA configuration file are stored in the Flash ROM. At startup the DSP automatically executes loader firmware transferring the DSP program from the Flash ROM to the DSP. The DSP reads the FPGA configuration file and configures the FPGA in each driver board simultaneously. The control program then loops to perform system diagnose, network service and check command queue, while the current and position controls are implemented in an interrupt service.

Growing community of inventors

Hong Kong, China

Dong Sun