Bio-Rad TC20™ Automated Cell Counter User Manual
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Performing Cell Counts
Fig. 16. Histogram for total cell count (sample
without trypan blue dye).
Fig. 17. Histogram for live and dead cell
count (sample with trypan blue dye).
To gate the histogram from the most recent count:
1. Use the down arrow key to select Histogram/gating from the Current count
screen, then press Enter.
2. When the histogram is displayed the low size gate is flashing and positions of gates
are displayed in microns in the lower right corner.
3. Use the up or down arrow keys to move the low gate to the desired position.
4. Press Enter to select the high gate. Use the up or down arrow key to move the high
gate to the desired position.
5. Press Enter to confirm position of both gates.
6. Gated cell count is displayed, press Enter to save it or press Home to start over.
Press Home anytime during the process to start over.
7. Press Enter to return to the Current count screen.
Note: If a new slide is inserted while the instrument is exporting an image, the instrument
queues the count until it completes the export. The instrument then detects the slide and
asks if it should start counting the sample in the new slide. If a new slide is inserted after
the image is exported, the instrument starts counting the sample in the new slide.
Viewing Histogram and Gating from the Current Count
The histogram of cell size distribution from the most recent count shows the
approximate cell diameters (in µm) on the X axis and the cell counts on the Y axis. The
cell counts are based on the 4 mm
2
imaged area. For samples without trypan blue, the
plot shows the total cell count (Figure 16). For samples with trypan blue, two plots are
used to show the number of live and dead cells (Figure 17).
Important: The TC20 cell counter accurately counts samples with single or mixed cell
populations. If you work with mixed cell population samples containing cells that vary
greatly in size you should enable the User defined gates in the Gating setup menu.
The histogram only shows approximate cell diameters; it is not intended to provide
precise cell diameters.