Introducing wMicroTracker SMART – Healthspan and Lifespan Experiments in 5 Minutes Each Day
With wMicroTracker SMART, you can now perform healthspan and lifespan experiments at once by measuring each plate only 5 minutes each day. It is quantitative with no human bias.
Keep the plates in the incubator. When you are ready, take the plate out of the incubator, place it in the tray and measure it for 5 minutes. Yes, it is that simple – 5 minutes each day to get reliable and reproducible healthspan and lifespan data. Best of all, wMicrotracker SMART is small and light for your budget!
With wMicroTracker SMART and ONE, now you can measure small animal movements and population behavior quantitatively as well as perform non-invasive phenotyping.
Key Benefits:
WMicrotracker Smart is our new technology with which you can get detailed information about behavior of small animal populations in function of time and space including multi-worm path tracking with ready-to-use software and hardware.
- Modular tracking system to quantify small organism behaviors in 35mm petri dish format.
- Capture full petri dish images, automatically detecting worm silhouettes, position, and tracking worm movement in real time.
- Calculate parameters such as number of worms on the plate, speed, travel distance and percent of moving animals in real time.
- Data is shown in real time, and a spreadsheet report (MsExcel compatible) can be opened with results.
- Small hard drive space (only 15Mb of data per experiment).
Key Features:
- Worms are recognized and tracked automatically
- Ready-to-use software. No technical skills required.
- Acquisition speed: 1 image per second.
- Fast processing algorithm (less than 100 milliseconds per frame).
How Does It Work?
The system exploits the optical properties of infrared imaging to capture full Petri dish images in real time.
Key Specs:
- Uses standard PC using Microsoft Windows. Wireless compatible.
- Fully optimized to be fast and light: Software size is < 10Mbytes without needing any additional library installation. PC processor consumption at running time is <10%.
- Non-invasive imaging uses low power infrared imaging.
- Images are stored in order to allows post processing and visualization.
- Detects worm shapes even on bacteria layers (compatible with RNAi experiments and microbiota research).
- Dimensions: (LWH) 10cm x 10cm x 22cm (4inch x 4inch x 8.5inch)
Ordering Information:
| Product | SKU | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| wMicroTracker SMART | wMTK-SMT | 1 | $4,995 |
wMicroTracker SMART vs. ONE
| wMicrotracker SMART | wMicrotracker ONE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Measurements | High content | High throughput | |
| Technology | infrared whole plate imaging | infrared microbeam light scattering | |
| Readout output | speed, travel distance, motility index, position, overall activity | overall activity | |
| Speed capacity | 12 experiments per hour [1 x plate / 5m] | 192 experiments per hour [1 x 96well plate / 30m] |
|
| Acquisition time | 5 minutes | 30 minutes | |
| Plate format compatibility | 35mm Petri dish | best for 96 well microplate Also compatible with: 384, 24, 6 well plates |
|
| Recommended for | NGM Culture Secondary screening | Liquid culture Fast Primary screening High number of samples to test |
|
| Minimum Organism size (C. elegans) | > 0.8 mm (L4 stage or bigger) | > 0.1mm (L1 stage or bigger) Good swimmers. Non-uncs |
|
| No. of animals per well (C. elegans) | 15 to 35 | 25 to 50 | |
| Cross-compatibility [validated] | parasitic nematodes* Zebrafish larvae |
||
| Research Application Compatibility | Drug/RNAi/mutant Screenings | yes | yes |
| Toxicity / anthelmintic | yes | yes | |
| Antioxidant | yes | yes | |
| Microbiome | yes | likely | |
| Chemotaxis / Memory | yes | no | |
| detailed single animal posture | no | no | |
| Healthspan | yes | yes | |
| Lifespan | yes | no | |
wMicroTracker ONE – 24/7 Automated Data Collection
The wMicroTracker ONE measures overall locomotor activity and viability of your worms such as C. elegans and parasitic nematodes cultured in liquid media and in multi-well plates. Its nonlabor-intensive automated assay is capable of providing a simple overnight readout which requires no additional processing.
This device is optimized for measuring C. elegans in liquid media and is also designed for high-throughput screening assays to evaluate the biological effects of potential compounds/drugs, as well as for mutant phenotyping studies in small nematodes.
With the wMicroTracker ONE’s 24/7 automated data collection capability, you can:
- Automatically measure worm movement in both large and small populations .
- Perform live worm assays for several weeks at a time with high reproducibility of data.
- Load your experiment, set your parameters and walk away. Your data will be ready for you at the end of the programmed time.
WMicroTracker ONE demo video
The wMicroTracker ONE gives you data comparable to a thrashing assay, only 10 times faster. The wMicroTracker ONE quantifies the locomotor activity of a worm population in a 96 well plate with 30-70 animals per well. Data acquisition and analysis are automated and simultaneous. All activity is normalized to N2 controls.
Toxicity assay. The dose-response effect of oxidative stress on C. elegans locomotor activity over time can be observed. Worms were exposed to a reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating compound. Each concentration was tested four times, using 30-70 animals per well in a 96-well plate.
Lifespan assay. The decreased lifespan of skn-1 mutants can be observed. Samples were recorded for 1 hour once per day, four times per condition.
Key Advantages:
- Automatically quantify worm movement
- Long-term, consistent data acquisition
- No user bias, no tedious training
Key Features:
- Works with 96-well plate (Download the protocol)
- Worms can be measured in liquid media
- Automatic temperature monitoring
| WMicrotracker Features | |
|---|---|
| Liquid Culture | ✅ |
| Works with 96 well microplates (Greiner) | ✅ |
| Fits in an incubator (for temp. control) | ✅ |
| Toxicity Assays | ✅ |
| Acute drug exposure | ✅ |
| Stress Response | ✅ |
| Requires multiple worms/plate or well | ✅ |
| Temperature monitoring | ✅ |
Ordering Information:
| Product | Cat. No. | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WMicroTracker ONE (PC included) | MTK100 | $17,600 |
Using wMicroTracker ONE for Parasitic Nematodes
Measuring Locomotor Activity
The wMicroTracker ONE instrument can be used to measure the locomotor activity of parasitic nematodes cultured in liquid media and in multi-well plates. Users can get measurements of overall locomotor activity and viability of worms of various species and sizes.
Key advantages:
- the only platform that combines high throughput activity measurement and species flexibility
- tested for various nematode and trematode species, including H.contortus, O. ostertagi, hookworms and D. immitis.
- can be placed directly inside an incubator for optimum temperature control
Figure 4. Detect and measure E. granulosus protoscoleces movement using the WMicroTracker System. Movement is detected when a population of more than 45 organisms/well is employed. Linear range is observed from 50 to 200 organisms/well for a 30-minute observation period.
Measuring Anthelmintic Activity
The conventional methods of measuring anthelmintic efficiency on parasitic nematode larvae, are image-based, which makes them low throughput and often laborious. The wMicroTracker instrument can be used for library screening and drug discovery in a variety of parasitic nematodes.
Key advantages:
- completely hands-free data acquisition in multi-wells
- export directly into a spreadsheet for easy statistical analysis on any computer
- no microscope, no heavy storage, no post-hoc analysis.
Figure 2. The concentration-response curve of EVP4593 on four ruminant parasites (mean ± S.D., n = 3). (Liu et al. 2018)
Species Compatibility
The conventional way of measuring anthelmintic activity for parasitic nematodes are laborious and low throughput. The wMicroTracker instrument can be used for library screening and drug discovery in parasitic nematodes.
The wMicroTracker has been tested and validated for the following parasitic species:
- Echinococcus granulosus
- Mesocestoides corti
- Haemonchus contortus
- Cooperia oncophora
- Teladorsagia circumcincta
- Ostertagia ostertagi
Learn more about the species compatibility by downloading the table below.
| WMicrotracker Features | |
|---|---|
| Liquid Culture | ✅ |
| Works with 96 well microplates (Greiner) | ✅ |
| Fits in an incubator (for temp. control) | ✅ |
| Toxicity Assays | ✅ |
| Acute drug exposure | ✅ |
| Stress Response | ✅ |
| Requires multiple worms/plate or well | ✅ |
| Temperature monitoring | ✅ |
Transgenics in Parasitic Nematodes
It is difficult and expensive to rear parasites due to hosts. The availability of homologs and paralogs of genes in a tractable genetic model such as C. elegans is one of the major contributions to parasitology. Transgenic C. elegans can be used as a method for studying drug resistance genes of parasitic nematodes. C. elegans is easy to grow in the lab, and there are lots of phenotypic assays available that are not yet available for parasitic nematode.
“CRISPR/Cas9 can be used to introduce nematode parasite genes into the experimentally tractable and anatomically and physiologically relevant C. elegans model system. Studies have shown that C. elegans knock‐out strains can be functionally rescued with transformation of parasite transgenes”. Zamanian & Anderson.
We can express parasite genes that are suitable for study in C. elegans. Share with us the parasitic worm gene you would like to study in C. elegans, and we would be happy to provide a no-cost analysis of project feasibility. We have successfully took sequence from the parasite strains including Loa loa, Dirofilaria immitis, Toxocara canis and inserted a functional gene in the C. elegans genome with MosSCI technology.
| Product | Cat. No. | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WMicroTracker ONE (PC included) | MTK100 | $17,600 |
wMicroTracker ONE Publications
Measuring Activities using wMicroTracker:
- Comparison of electrophysiological and motility assays to study anthelmintic effects in Caenorhabditis elegans. Steffen R. Hahnel, William M. Roberts, Iring Heisler, Daniel Kulke, Janis C. Weeks. International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance. Volume 16, August 2021, Pages 174-187.
- Bioassay-guided isolation of three anthelmintic compounds from Warburgia ugandensis Sprague subspecies ugandensis, and the mechanism of action of polygodial. Liu M, Kipanga P, Mai AH, Dhondt I, Braeckman BP, De Borggraeve W, Luyten W. Int J Parasitol. 2018 Sep;48(11):833-844.
- Screening of a drug repurposing library with a nematode motility assay identifies promising anthelmintic hits against Cooperia oncophora and other ruminant parasites. Liu M., Landuyt B., Klaassen H., Geldhof P., Luyten W. Veterinary Parasitology. 2018 Dec.
- The nervous and prenervous roles of serotonin in Echinococcus spp. Camicia F, Herz M, Prada LC, Kamenetzky L, Simonetta SH, Cucher MA, Bianchi JI, Fernández C, Brehm K, Rosenzvit MC. Int J Parasitol. 2013 Jul;43(8):647-59.
- Unique pharmacological properties of serotoninergic G-protein coupled receptors from cestodes. Rosenzvit MC et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 Feb; 12(2): e0006267.
- Caenorhabditis elegans Infrared-Based Motility Assay Identified New Hits for Nematicide Drug Development. Risi G, Aguilera E, Ladós E, Suárez G, Carrera I, Álvarez G7, Salinas G. Vet Sci. 2019 Mar 17;6(1). pii: E29.
- C. elegans Development and Activity Test Detects Mammalian Developmental Neurotoxins. Piper Reid Hunt; Nicholas Olejnik; Keenan D. Bailey; Cory A. Vaught; Robert L. Sprando. Food Chem Toxicol. 2018 Nov;121:583-592.
- Active principles of Tetradenia riparia. IV. Anthelmintic activity of 8(14),15-sandaracopimaradiene-7α,18-diol. Luc Van Puyvelde; Maoxuan Liu; Cedrick Veryser; Wim M. De Borggraeve; Joseph Mungarulire; Marie Jeanne Mukazayire; Walter Luyten. J Ethnopharmacol. 2018 Apr 24;216:229-232.
- Rescue of ATXN3 neuronal toxicity in C . elegans by chemical modification of ER stress. Fardghassemi Y ; Tauffenberger A ; Gosselin S ; Parker JA. Dis Model Mech. 2017 Dec 19;10(12):1465-1480.
- A rapid chemical genetic screen utilizing impaired movement phenotypes in C . elegans : Input into genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders. Schmeisser K ; Fardghassemi Y; Parker JA. Exp Neurol. 2017 Jul;293:101-114.
- Twitchin kinase inhibits muscle activity. Matsunaga Y ; Hwang H ; Franke B ; Williams R ; Penley M ; Qadota H ; Yi H ; Morran LT ; Lu H ; Mayans O ; Benian GM. Mol Biol Cell. 2017 Jun 15;28(12):1591-1600.
- Neurodegeneration in C. elegans models of ALS requires TIR-1/Sarm1 immune pathwayactivation in neurons. Veriepe J ; Fossouo L ; Parker JA. Nat Commun. 2015 Jun 10;6:7319.
- Twitchin kinase interacts with MAPKAP kinase 2 in Caenorhabditis elegans striated muscle. Matsunaga Y ; Qadota H ; Furukawa M ; Choe HH ; Benian GM. Mol Biol Cell. 2015 Jun 1;26(11):2096-111.
- Insulin/IGF-1 receptor signaling enhances biosynthetic activity and fat mobilization in the initialphase of starvation in adult male C. elegans. Tan KT ; Luo SC ; Ho WZ ; Lee YH. Cell Metab. 2011 Sep 7;14(3):390-402.
Study of parasitic nematodes using C. elegans:
- In vitro screening methods for parasites: the wMicroTracker & the WormAssay. Emma Gunderson, Christina Bulman, Mona Luo, Judy Sakanari. microPublication Biology. July 2020.
- Expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits from parasitic nematodes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sloan MA, Reaves BJ, Maclean MJ, Storey BE, Wolstenholme AJ. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2015 Nov;204(1):44-50.
- Glutamate-gated chloride channels of Haemonchus contortus restore drug sensitivity to ivermectin resistant Caenorhabditis elegans. Glendinning SK, Buckingham SD, Sattelle DB, Wonnacott S, Wolstenholme AJ. PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e22390.
- Beta-tubulin genes from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus modulate drug resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Kwa MS, Veenstra JG, Van Dijk M, Roos MH. J Mol Biol. 1995 Mar 3;246(4):500-10.
- Comparison of electrophysiological and motility assays to study anthelmintic effects in Caenorhabditis elegans. Steffen R. Hahnel, William M. Roberts, Iring Heisler, Daniel Kulke, Janis C. Weeks. International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance. Volume 16, August 2021, Pages 174-187.
- Bioassay-guided isolation of three anthelmintic compounds from Warburgia ugandensis Sprague subspecies ugandensis, and the mechanism of action of polygodial. Liu M, Kipanga P, Mai AH, Dhondt I, Braeckman BP, De Borggraeve W, Luyten W. Int J Parasitol. 2018 Sep;48(11):833-844.
- Screening of a drug repurposing library with a nematode motility assay identifies promising anthelmintic hits against Cooperia oncophora and other ruminant parasites. Liu M., Landuyt B., Klaassen H., Geldhof P., Luyten W. Veterinary Parasitology. 2018 Dec.
- The nervous and prenervous roles of serotonin in Echinococcus spp. Camicia F, Herz M, Prada LC, Kamenetzky L, Simonetta SH, Cucher MA, Bianchi JI, Fernández C, Brehm K, Rosenzvit MC. Int J Parasitol. 2013 Jul;43(8):647-59.
- Unique pharmacological properties of serotoninergic G-protein coupled receptors from cestodes. Rosenzvit MC et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 Feb; 12(2): e0006267.
wMicroTracker ONE Technical Resources
- wMicroTracker ONE Application Data
- Protocol: Drug Screening with 96-well Plate
- Protocol: Measuring Healthspan
- Protocol: Measuring Oxidative Stress
- Protocol: Toxicity Screening
- Tech Note: Using solvent with wMicroTracker ONE
- Tech Note: Analyzing Small C. elegans Populations with the wMicroTracker ONE
Frequently Asked Questions
Using wMicrotracker, it is possible to perform experiments with up to 70 worms and as few as 1 worm.
The wMicroTracker can be used with standard “U” bottom and “flat” bottom microplates. The U-plate motion signals saturate more quickly than in flat bottom plates. We have also found the detection sensitivity to be greater in the “U” bottom plate. Not that for smaller populations, “U” bottom plates have less variability between wells.
Few number of worms are required, and subtle movements can be detected at the expense of smaller volumes of reagents.
Worm interactions are minimized in this case and signal linearity is maintained when the number of worms are increased or decreased.
The system is compatible with most worm strains including wild nematode isolates and parasitic nematodes. Non motile/non-good swimming strains (such as roll or severe unc mutants) are not recommended.
Yes, the Microtracker can measure worm activity form L1 to older adult for weeks. Be sure to validate your liquid culture protocol before using it in the WMicroTracker.
Although the wMicroTracker does not have a camera, it is possible to correlate the wMicroTracker’s data (number of beam breaks) to the number of body bends per minute.
You can measure movement in populations of larvae as early as L1.
It is not recommended. However, it is possible to perform experiments with as few as 1 worm. See graphs in this Tech Note for more details.
Yes. Worms can be measured in the wMicroTracker for multiple days when placed in bacteria. We recommend that you use fresh bacteria at an OD600 of 0.5 (up to 1). Under these conditions, adult worms usually have enough food for 3-5 days. Another option is to cultivate your worms in axenic media (CeMM) instead of using bacteria.
The wMicroTracker can acquire data on your worms for weeks without interruption. The limiting factor for longitudinal studies will be determined by your worm culture protocol and requirements. For long term data acquisition in the wMicroTracker, we recommend that you place your worms in axenic media. We recommend that you conduct measurements for at least 100 minutes to reduce standard error. See protocol for healthspan assays.
We observed no degradation of the LEDs over time. The LEDs in the wMicroTrackers have a lifetime of 36,000 hours. Since they flash every 1/384 sec, this is equivalent of 10 years of use. The wMicroTracker was engineered to auto-compensate and auto-calibrate the beams to maintain signal linearity over time.
The infra-red beams in the wMicroTracker are generated by low-power LEDs and have been shownto be non-invasive for C. elegans (Simonetta and Golombek 2007).
Yes, you can download the wMicroTracker software here.
The LED beams pulse every 1/384 sec and the software records every interruptions of the beams. This data is pooled and analyzed when the data report is generated by the software and presented as “average activity count by data interval”. You can always change the analysis bin (data interval) size after the data is collected. The minimum bin size recommended for analysis is 5 minutes. Choosing smaller bins may increase variability of your data.
The LED beams have a diameter of 150 µm, which is larger than the diameter of an adult C. elegans worm (100 µm on average).
What are the beam specs?
• Wavelength: Infrared, 880nm
• Temperature: no heat generated
• Pulse frequency: 1/384 sec
• Number of beams per well for the wMicroTracker.
– 96-well plate: 2 beams per well
– 384-well plate: 1 beam per well
These properties cannot be modified.
Computer minimum requirements:
• Pentium II processor or above (>1GHz clock)
• 512Mb of RAM memory
• 1 USB port
• Windows XP 32 bits (or higher) operating system
• 200Mb of free HD space (>10Gb free HD space recommended for real time data saving)
The wMicroTracker creates a folder for each experiment. The raw data for a 2-hour experiment is about 20 Kb. The Excel export file for such an experiment is about 15 Kb.