See It In Action

How BactoBox® and Impedance Flow Cytometry Work

SBT has developed and applied a new technology for bacteria measurements

No Stains, No Dyes, No Chemical Reaction, No Incubation.

Advantages of Using a Label-Free Approach in Bacterial Enumeration

SBT has developed and applied a new technology for bacteria measurements

BactoBox exploits impedance flow cytometry at different electrical measurement frequencies to probe for intact membranes. Simplified, an intact lipid membrane will impose a pronounced hindrance to electricity. A dead bacterium with a non-intact bacterial cell will be a good propagator of electricity. Commonly available live/dead staining kits for fluorescence flow cytometry (FFC) use thiazole orange (TO) and propidium iodide (PI) to tell if the bacterial membrane is compromised.

The label-free approach of impedance flow cytometry has several advantages over live/dead staining with fluorescence flow cytometry (FFC).

Time-Efficient: Label-free methods don't require time-consuming steps like staining or tagging the cells with fluorescent markers.

Preservation of Cell Integrity: The lack of labeling means that cells aren't exposed to any potentially harmful dyes or reagents, so their physiological and structural integrity is better preserved. This is important when you want to study the bacteria in a state as close to their natural one as possible.

Broad Applicability: Since no specific labels are used, these methods can be applied to a wide range of bacterial types without needing to change the labeling reagent.

Our approach to developing next-generation innovative measurement solutions at SBT is built upon close collaboration between several different technical fields. This is what enables us to challenge status quo and improve the state-of-the-art. In 2013, the SBT founders saw an opportunity to solve the pains several industries had with the 100-year-old plate count method.

This resulted in BactoBox, a technology for measuring bacteria using electrical impedance as a detection principle. This technology solves the pains of plate counts and other technologies by being both fast, accurate, easy-to-use and affordable.

Our Goal

Bringing Bacterial Enumeration into the 21st Century

We design user-friendly bacteria counters

The utilization of bacteria in biotech and biopharma is increasing at an impressive rate. Leveraging the power of these natural microorganisms is revolutionizing numerous sectors, from the creation of innovative pharmaceuticals to the modification of resource-heavy chemical industrial processes. The revolution of bacterial enumeration techniques is not happening at the same pace, and the golden standard of plate counts was inventend more than 100 years ago.

SBT Instruments is committed to revolutionizing the field of microbiological enumeration. Our work serves to improve the speed and accuracy of the research performed by our customers.

Enumerate Bacteria with BactoBox®

Please submit your contact and application details using the form below. A specialist from our team will contact you within one business day to discuss the technical compatibility of BactoBox® with your needs and outline potential trial opportunities. Alternatively, reach out directly to our CEO, Gustav.