Syngene has announced that its GeneTools image analysis software has a new functionality, which will save molecular biologists time with tasks such as colony and cell counting
GeneTools, primarily designed to analyse gels and blots, can produce a count of colonies from a framed circular image in seconds.
Since counting is based on a user-defined, adjustable circular frame, molecular biologists can automatically count colonies or plaques on standard 9cm plates or 15cm library plates, as well as determining cell numbers in multi-well plates. For molecular biologists using colour selection plates, the Syngene software has a class split application, which enables automatic discrimination and counting of, for example, blue and white colonies on the same plate.
Syngene's GeneTools shows the counts numerically alongside a plate image indicating everything the software considers as a colony.
Users can adjust the sensitivity and area limits to separate touching colonies and make counts of specific sized colonies.
In addition, because GeneTools allows users to determine frame size, it means that edge effects such as bubbles or pen markings can be excluded. Other problem areas within the plate, for example, agar lumps, can be eliminated from the count by manually drawing around them on screen.
All these features ensure that the count is highly accurate.
GeneTools comes as standard with both the ChemiGenius and GeneGenius image analysis systems and Syngene provides software upgrades for life, free of charge.
Paul Ellwood, Syngene's divisional manager said: "The new colony counting functionality of GeneTools makes this great image analysis package even more useful for molecular biologists.
Since the upgrade is not version dependent, current and new GeneTools users alike can enjoy the rapid and accurate results this versatile and up-to-date software affords."
