Design and Construction of a Chamber Enabling the Observation of Living Cells in the Field of a Constant Magnetic Force

Abstract

The aim of the work was to design and construct a microscopic stage that enables the observation of biological cells in a magnetic field with a constant magnetic force. Regarding the requirements for biological observations in the magnetic field, construction was based on the standard automatic stage of an optical microscope ZEISS Axio Observer, and the main challenge was to design a set of magnets which were the source of a field in which the magnetic force was constant in the observation zone. Another challenge was to design a magnet arrangement producing a weak magnetic field to manipulate the cells without harming them. The Halbach array of magnets was constructed using permanent cubic neodymium magnets mounted on a 3D printed polymer ring. Four sets of magnets were used, differing in their dimensions, namely, 20, 15, 12, and 10 mm. The polymer rings were designed to resist magnetic forces and to keep their shape undisturbed when working under biological conditions. To check the usability of the constructs, experiments with magnetic microparticles were executed. Magnetic microparticles were placed under the microscope and their movement was observed to find the acting magnetic force.

Keywords

• living cell observation
• magnetic field
• optical microscopy
• Halbach magnet