Press releases

QuantomiX Introduces the QX-capsule, a Nanotechnology- based Tissue Culture Dish that Enables Direct Electron Microscopy of Fully Hydrated Cells and Other Wet Specimens

New Research Capabilities Introduced to Scientific Community at American Society for Cell Biology Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 11, 2003): For the first time, scientists can directly image cells in their native wet environment with a standard scanning electron microscope (SEM), thanks to new technology to be introduced by QuantomiX at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, CA on December 13 - 17, 2003. The company will showcase its technology and products, as well as their novel application in the fields of obesity, diabetes, and central nervous system research in exhibits and a workshop to be held for ASCB meeting attendees on December 16.

Applying recent advances in nanotechnology, QuantomiX has developed the QX-capsule, which uses an ultra thin membrane that is transparent to an electron beam but impervious to water and sufficiently strong to resist a 1-atmosphere pressure difference. The capsule is used as a culture dish to separate the wet specimens from the SEM vacuum. It enables researchers to directly image unstained, unfixed cells and tissues, including the imaging of entire cell membranes and internal structures with any SEM.

"We are happy to introduce cell biologists to an affordable, easy-to-use device that combines the convenience of light microscopy with a resolution that until now characterized only electron microscopy. " said Ory Zik, Ph.D., QuantomiX's chief executive officer. "Previously, all biological and other water-containing samples had to be fixed and dehydrated before they could be introduced to the vacuum inside the microscope viewing chamber, making it impossible to image such wet samples directly with an SEM."

Dr. Zik continued, "One of the challenges we faced was how to turn such a technological advancement into a useful and affordable product. Our single-use device, introduced today at the ASCB, fits existing electron microscopes but transforms their capabilities, giving cell biologists and pharmaceutical researchers entirely new research capabilities. For example, QuantomiX collaborators have gained a unique advantage for imaging the size and distribution cellular lipids in research aimed at improving the diagnosis and management of diseases such as obesity and diabetes."

"QuantomiX's QX-capsule enabled us to quantitatively study lipid accumulation, in a way that we could not do before," said Barbara Corkey, Ph.D., professor of medicine and biochemistry and director, Obesity Research Center, Boston Medical Center, Boston University. Dr. Corkey, a national leader in obesity research, also heads the North American Organization for the Study of Obesity (NAASO).

QuantomiX has currently collaborations with scientists at major research institutions in the United States and Israel to further develop its products and technology, including its use in future medical diagnostic and industrial applications. The company plans to make its products available to the U.S. research market in the first quarter of 2004.

About QuantomiX

QuantomiX Ltd. is a company that provides solutions for the problems of rapid high-resolution imaging for improved research diagnostics and drug discovery. The company was founded in 2001 by Ory Zik, Ph.D. and Michael Brunstein, Ph.D., both of whom built their experience in the semiconductor industry where they specialized in automated scanning electron microscopes. The QuantomiX R&D Center is located in Rehovot, Israel and the company is establishing a U.S. headquarters in the Boston, Massachusetts area. QuantomiX is a privately held, venture-backed company whose major investors include Pitango Venture Capital, the leading venture capital firm in Israel and VitaLife, an Israeli-based life sciences venture fund.