The 3D Cell Explorer
A revolutionary Holotomographic Microscope to look instantly inside living cells in 3D Get a quoteLive Cell Imaging with the 3D Cell Explorer: Take your Cell Research to the Next Dimension
NON-INVASIVE 3D CHARACTERIZATION
Live cell imaging in physiological conditions without any bleaching or phototoxicity
LABEL-FREE 4D CONTINUOUS OBSERVATION
Measurement of cell processes from seconds to weeks
MULTIPLEXING
High resolution and high sensitivity characterization of multiple cell organelles based on their refractive index
“It [the 3D Cell Explorer] is absolutely fantastic! Its ease of operation, intuitive nature, compact size, rapid imaging and no need for stains make this a system I would certainly recommend and it would certainly support many different kinds of research.”
Dr. Wojtek Chrzanowski
Faculty of Pharmacy and the Australian Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology at the University of Sydney, Australia
At Nanolive, we focus on innovative product development at the highest standards to deliver a high precision and quality research device for our international customers.
At Nanolive, we focus on innovative product development at the highest standards to deliver a high precision and quality research device for our international customers.
Look Deeper
Non-invasive characterization of live cells in physiological conditions
The 3D Cell Explorer measures the quantitative refractive index of cell organelles in seconds. Hence, it is possible to do non-invasive in vitro imaging of almost any kind of cells with up to 30 μm depth of reconstruction. This allows for biological features to be segmented based on their physical characteristics.

Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) undergoing cell division: 2D slice from RI map in grayscale and 3D reconstructions digitally stained.
Label-free continuous observation of cell processes from seconds to weeks
T685A human melanoma cell undergoing apoptosis
Study cell life cycle processes of growth, division & death in 3D and 4D. Thanks to a dedicated top-stage incubator you can monitor cell compartments and their kinetics and dynamics in real-time without interfering with their natural physiology.
Multiplexing
High resolution and high sensitivity characterization of multiple cell organelles based on their refractive index. Explore and measure different cell compartments with unprecedented detail and resolution, marker-free and preparation-free based on their own physical density.

Mouse fibroblasts and their internal compartments: a. mitochondr ia; b. plasma membrane; c. actin fibers; d. lipid droplets;
e. lysosomes; f. nuclear envelope, nucleus & nucleoli.
Discover More
Long Term Live Imaging of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells for 15 hours – in 3D
Explore a new vision
Label-free unstained 3D cells
Long observation time
New space for discoveries
3D Data Sets
Multiplexing, unique organelle segmentation
Quantitative data analysis
Save Experimental Time
No sample preparation
Short setup time
Fast & easy acquisition
Compatible Sample Stage
Top-stage incubator, pipettors, microfluidic devices, …
The Nanolive Top Stage Incubator
An okolab and Nanolive solution for live cell imagingTop-Stage Incubator: Temperature; Humidity and CO2 (Manual mixing or Premixed)
This top-stage incubator ensures the highest temperature accuracy on sample temperature by controlling simultaneously up to 6 independent channels with a modern multichannel controller.
The system allows temperature, humidity and CO2 conditioning in a very user friendly manner.
The controller is equipped with an on-board memory for data logging and a mini-USB port for data download.
Nanolive 3D Cell Explorer is also compatible with the ibidi top-stage incubator. For more information follow this link: Compatible Equipment
Software STEVE
An intuitive and comprehensive tool to explore live cell dataSTEVE tutorial video: a software for live cell imaging
STEVE is the 3D Cell Explorer’s software counterpart. After the series of holograms has been captured by the hardware, high-resolution images of each plane in the sample are created by computer processing. Improved image resolution is achieved by employing a synthetic aperture and multiple-viewpoint-holographic methods.
STEVE’s intuitive interface controls the microscope, explores live cell data using interactive digital staining and even performs quantitative analysis on cell measurements. STEVE runs smoothly, even during acquisition.
Technical Features 3D Cell Explorer
Resolution | Δx,y = 200nm; Δz = 400nm |
---|---|
Field of View | 85 x 85 x 30 μm |
Tomography frame rate | 0.5 fps 3D image rate with full self-adjustement |
Microscope Objective | Air with 60x magnification |
Illumination Source | Class 1 laser low power (λ=520 nm, sample exposure 0.2 mW/mm2) |
Accessible Sample Stage | 60 mm of free access to the sample stage for sample manipulation |
Dimensions | 38 cm x 17 cm x 45 cm |

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3D Cell Explorer: the perfect live cell imaging tool for your experimental cell biology classesBring your Practical Courses to the Next Dimension
cell.academy
An educational video platform containing a library of living cell videosVisit our sister website cell.academy!
cell.academy is an educational video platform containing a library of living cell videos and educational content. It is aiming to communicate information on cell biology to students and the public.