Equipment Tags We Detect

Basic optical microscope for viewing cells and tissues. Found in virtually every biology lab.

Uses fluorescent dyes or proteins to visualize specific molecules inside cells. Workhorse for cell biology and immunology.

Laser-scanning microscope that captures sharp optical sections of thick samples. The standard for high-quality cell imaging.

Breaks the diffraction limit to image individual molecules. Includes STORM, PALM, SIM, and STED systems.

Images entire organisms or large tissue volumes with minimal photodamage. Growing fast in developmental biology and neuroscience.

Low-magnification 3D viewing for dissection, sample prep, and quality inspection.

Nanometer-scale imaging of ultra-thin sections. Structural biology, materials science, virology.

Surface imaging at nanometer resolution. Materials characterization, forensics, semiconductor inspection.

Cryogenic electron microscopy. Images frozen biological molecules at near-atomic resolution. The hottest instrument in structural biology right now.

Views samples from below through the culture vessel. The standard platform for cell culture imaging.

Time-lapse imaging of living cells with built-in environmental control (CO2, temperature, humidity).

Automated microscope plus analysis software for screening thousands of samples. Drug discovery and phenotypic screening.

Digitizes glass slides for pathology and histology. Whole-slide imaging for remote review and AI analysis.

Specialized fluorescence imaging for tracking neuronal activity via calcium indicators.

In vivo imaging of live animals using bioluminescence, fluorescence, or X-ray. Preclinical drug development.

Nanometer-scale surface imaging and force measurement. Biophysics, materials science, and single-molecule studies.

Isolates specific cell populations from tissue sections using a laser. Enables genomic analysis of pure cell types from heterogeneous tissues.

Measures light absorption to quantify DNA, protein, or chemical concentrations. A staple in every wet lab.

Micro-volume UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Uses just 1-2 microliters. Standard in every molecular biology lab for quick concentration checks.

Measures fluorescence intensity for nucleic acid quantification, protein assays, and reporter gene studies.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Identifies chemical bonds and molecular structures. Materials science, polymers, pharmaceuticals.

Identifies materials by their molecular vibrations. Non-destructive, minimal sample prep. Forensics, pharmaceuticals, geology.

Reads 96- or 384-well plates for absorbance, fluorescence, or luminescence. Core instrument for any assay-based research.

Measures light output from bioluminescent or chemiluminescent reactions. Reporter gene assays, ATP detection.

Nuclear magnetic resonance. Determines molecular structure and dynamics in solution. Structural biology, chemistry, metabolomics. One of the most expensive instruments a lab can buy.

Determines crystal structure and material composition by X-ray scattering. Materials science, chemistry, geology, and pharmaceutical analysis.

High-performance liquid chromatography. Separates, identifies, and quantifies compounds in mixtures. Pharma, food science, environmental testing.

Ultra-high performance LC. Faster runs and higher resolution than standard HPLC.

Fast protein liquid chromatography for protein purification. The AKTA platform from Cytiva is the industry standard.

Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Identifies and quantifies compounds with extreme sensitivity. Proteomics, metabolomics, clinical.

Separates volatile compounds. Environmental monitoring, petrochemistry, forensic toxicology.

Gas chromatography paired with mass spectrometry. Gold standard for volatile compound identification.

Separates and quantifies ions in solution. Water quality testing, environmental analysis, semiconductor manufacturing.

Simple, inexpensive separation technique. Used for quick screening in organic chemistry and teaching labs.

Rapid purification of synthetic compounds. Standard in organic and medicinal chemistry labs.

Measures molecular mass to identify and quantify compounds. Used across proteomics, metabolomics, clinical chemistry, and environmental analysis.

Thermo Fisher's high-resolution mass analyzer. Dominates proteomics and is expanding into clinical and environmental applications.

Quadrupole time-of-flight. High resolution and accurate mass measurement. Metabolomics, lipidomics, food safety.

Best-in-class for targeted quantification. Clinical labs, pharmacokinetics, pesticide residue testing.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization. Fast protein identification, tissue imaging (MALDI imaging), microbial ID.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Trace element analysis at parts-per-trillion levels. Environmental, geochemistry, semiconductor.

Quantitative PCR. Measures gene expression and detects specific DNA sequences in real time. Every molecular biology lab has one.

Absolute quantification of nucleic acids without a standard curve. More precise than qPCR for rare targets like liquid biopsy.

Separates DNA, RNA, or proteins by size in a capillary. Used for Sanger sequencing readout and fragment analysis.

Detects and quantifies specific proteins in a sample. Chemiluminescent and fluorescent imaging systems.

Delivers electrical pulses to open cell membranes for transfection. Essential for gene editing (CRISPR) workflows.

Amplifies DNA through repeated heating and cooling cycles. The foundational instrument in molecular biology — every lab that works with DNA has one.

Reads millions of DNA fragments in parallel. Illumina dominates the market. Whole-genome, exome, RNA-seq, and more.

Classic DNA sequencing. Lower throughput but still the gold standard for validation and short-read confirmation.

Oxford Nanopore or PacBio platforms. Reads long DNA fragments for structural variant detection and de novo genome assembly.

Reads DNA or RNA microarrays for gene expression profiling, genotyping, and epigenetics studies.

Automated capillary electrophoresis system for DNA/RNA quality control before sequencing library prep.

Agilent's chip-based system for nucleic acid and protein quality assessment. Standard QC step before any sequencing run.

Replaces manual hemocytometer counting with image-based or impedance-based automated counts. Faster and more reproducible.

Controlled environment for growing mammalian or insect cells at scale. Upstream bioprocessing for antibodies, vaccines, cell therapies.

Microbial growth at scale. Biofuel research, enzyme production, industrial biotech, and recombinant protein manufacturing.

Deposits living cells in precise 3D patterns to build tissue constructs. Tissue engineering, organ-on-chip, regenerative medicine, and drug testing.

Measures physical and fluorescent characteristics of cells in a fluid stream. Immunophenotyping, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assays.

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Physically separates cell populations based on marker expression. Core facility instrument.

Next-generation flow cytometry using full emission spectra instead of optical filters. Supports more parameters per cell.

Benchtop flow cytometer for routine analysis without physical sorting capability. Lower cost entry point for flow work.

Spins at 100,000+ RPM to separate subcellular components, viruses, exosomes, and nanoparticles.

Robotic pipetting systems for plate setup, serial dilutions, library prep, and high-throughput screening. Complexity and price vary widely.

Uses ultrasound waves to disrupt cells, shear DNA, or clean surfaces. Essential for ChIP-seq and protein extraction workflows.

Evaporates solvents under vacuum to concentrate samples without heat damage. SpeedVac is the common brand name.

Removes water from frozen samples by sublimation. Preserves biological materials, pharmaceuticals, and food samples.

Cuts extremely thin tissue sections (as thin as 1 micron) for microscopy. Histology and pathology standard.

A microtome mounted inside a freezer chamber. Cuts frozen tissue sections for rapid histological analysis.

Cuts tissue sections without freezing or paraffin embedding. Preserves native tissue architecture for electrophysiology and imaging.

Precisely delivers DNA, RNA, proteins, or drugs into individual cells or embryos. Essential for C. elegans transgenics, zebrafish embryo work, and IVF research.

Liquid nitrogen storage for long-term preservation of cells, tissues, and biological samples. Biobanks, stem cell labs, and cell therapy manufacturing.

Records electrical activity from individual ion channels or single cells. The fundamental technique in cellular neuroscience and cardiac research.

Complete recording setup: microscope, micromanipulators, amplifier, digitizer, and acquisition software. Often custom-configured.

Electroencephalography. Records brain electrical activity through scalp electrodes. Neuroscience, sleep studies, epilepsy research.

Electromyography. Records muscle electrical activity. Neuromuscular disease research, rehabilitation, sports science.

Records from dozens to thousands of neurons simultaneously on a chip. In vitro neural network studies, drug screening.

Uses light to control genetically modified neurons. Requires lasers, optical fibers, and specialized light delivery hardware.

Automated systems for measuring animal behavior: mazes, fear conditioning chambers, locomotion tracking, operant conditioning.

Precisely positions surgical tools in the brain using 3D coordinates. Essential for in vivo neuroscience, injections, and implants.

Images deep into living brain tissue with minimal photodamage. The primary tool for in vivo neural imaging in awake, behaving animals.

Individually ventilated caging systems. Provide filtered air to each cage independently. Required for immunocompromised or infectious disease models.

Industrial-scale cage and rack washers for vivarium operations. High-throughput cleaning and decontamination.

Isoflurane vaporizers, gas scavenging, and physiological monitoring for animal surgical procedures.

Laminar flow hood designed for transferring animals between cages in a clean, HEPA-filtered environment.

In vivo imaging of mice and rats: bioluminescence, fluorescence, micro-CT, and PET. Preclinical drug efficacy studies.

Magnetic resonance imaging for non-invasive soft tissue imaging. Research MRI systems for preclinical and clinical studies.

Positron emission tomography. Metabolic and molecular imaging. Often paired with CT for anatomical co-registration.

Computed tomography. 3D X-ray imaging for bone, vasculature, and organ structure. Preclinical and clinical research.

High-frequency imaging of soft tissues in real time. Non-invasive, no radiation. Cardiovascular, developmental biology, tumor monitoring.

Delivers controlled radiation doses for cancer research, bone marrow transplant conditioning, and radiation biology studies.

Motorized treadmills for exercise physiology research in mice and rats. Metabolic studies, cardiac function, endurance testing.

Wireless implants that monitor heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and activity in freely moving animals.

Automated analyzer for blood chemistry panels, immunoassays, and biomarker quantification. Hospital labs and clinical research.

Measures blood pH, CO2, O2, and electrolytes. Point-of-care instrument in ICUs, emergency departments, and pulmonary research.

Automated complete blood count (CBC) and white cell differential. High-throughput cell counting and classification.

Automated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay platform. Measures antibodies, hormones, cytokines, and other proteins in biological samples.

Quantitative reader for rapid diagnostic test strips. Turns qualitative yes/no tests into measurable results.

Portable diagnostic instruments used at the bedside, in the field, or in resource-limited settings. Growing market in global health research.