About CellEraser LLC

CellEraser LLC was founded in 2016 after successful filing for utility patents for our device (CellEraser) and method for selective hyperthermic damage of target cells (US Patents: US9725711 B2 and US10130825 B2). Since company inception, we have developed a unique cell manipulation technology that uses millimeter wave (MMW) radiation for fast local heating of adherent cell cultures. In contrast to laser-based methods, this technology utilizes MMW radiation to achieve quick release of heat in a small surface aria. It allows heating cells within a small area of controlled size (from 50 to 1000 micron in diameter) to a desired temperature and keeping that temperature for a required period (Read CellEraser manuals)

Programmed motorized stage allows to install CellEraser™ attachment on any inverted microscopes. For inverted microscope the vertical part of waveguide is placed parallel to objective and touch the bottom of plate. The end of waveguide cannot be visible by operator and calibration process will be done by moving of stage to the center of objective position (distance between waveguide end and objective center axis is constant and memorized by a software). After temperature calibration (melting of LCA film) an operator will find the Region of Interest (ROI) based on cell morphology or fluorescence. To erase cells around ROI an operator just needs to determine its radius (Rin) and radius of erased region (Rout). The stage will be moved to waveguide position and the software will move waveguide end around ROI and simultaneously turn on a millimeter wave radiation to heat the cells around ROI. After ROI is encircled the software will return stage to objective position.

An illustration of two CellEraser actions - the first is actual "erasing" when cells after short-term (1-2 s) heating to 50ºC spontaneously rounded and detached from substrate (need a simple wash out to remove cells from the treated spot); the second is a "thermofixation" - cells in central area of spot were heated to a temperature >70ºC (cells in the ring surrounding central spot were heated to 50ºC  so-called "shoulders" area and were washed out). Cells in the central spot (>70ºC) were simultaneously fixed and permeabilized. "Thermofixed" are not washable. All cell's proteins are denatured and become detectable by Western Blot antibodies that never work with chemically fixed cells. Thermofixation allows to detect dynamics of very rapid processes in cells (for example, EGFR autophosphorylation after EGF adding to cell culture).  The detection of phospho-EGFR after thermofixation is possible with WB tested antibodies - all proteins are denatured and the antibodies that bind with protein conformation epitopes (good for chemical fixation only) will not work after themofixation.

Our Mission

Our mission is to create the technology and equipment that enables to study hyperthermia mechanisms on both cellular and subcellular levels. CellEraser™ allows precisely heat 2D and 3D cell cultures to any desired temperatures for any period (from seconds to hours). The method will help to answer the pivotal question: is it true that tumor cells are more sensitive to sudden increases in temperature than normal cells? What if cancer cells are really more sensitive and some specific temperature will selectively kill only cancer cells while normal cells will survive it and continue proliferation? This fact will make mild hyperthermia very attractive therapeutic tool for solid cancers.

Recent news

We will have an exhibition at the Cell Bio 2022 Meeting (December 3-7, 2022 - Exhibits: December 4-7) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. CellEraser LLC has been assigned booth 1209. We will exhibit on the booth our final version of microscope attachment CellEraser designed for inverted microscopes.

Read our flier (below) and open PP presentation.