We’ve Upgraded Your Shopping Experience – WPI’s New Online Store Is Live
WPI is evolving as we introduce our completely redesigned online store built to make finding and purchasing research tools easier than ever. This upgrade goes far beyond a technical refresh. It creates a faster, more intuitive, and more reliable shopping experience from any device. Visitors will notice streamlined navigation, richer product information, smarter search tools, and clearer communication from checkout through delivery. While the platform is new, WPI’s commitment to precision, quality, and customer support remains the same. Explore the new store to see how we’re enhancing the way you shop for the tools that power your science.
How to Store Petri Dishes: 10 Best Practices for Lab Sterility and Coating Integrity
Proper storage and handling of petri dishes is a simple but critical part of maintaining sterility, surface integrity, and reproducible results in any research lab. Dust, humidity, scratches, or premature opening can compromise cultures long before they reach the incubator or microscope. Whether you’re using standard culture dishes, ECM-coated formats, or advanced glass-bottom dishes for imaging, following a few key best practices helps protect your samples and ensure consistent performance. This guide walks through the top tips for storing petri dishes of all types, with notes for coated and glass-bottom formats that require additional care.
Why Titanium Surgical Instruments are the Premium Choice for Researchers
When you spend hours at the bench or under a microscope, the smallest details in your tools make the biggest difference. The weight of your forceps, the glare from a light, the feel of a pair of scissors after repetitive use. Everything adds up. Choosing the right material isn’t just a matter of preference. It directly affects comfort, accuracy, and long‑term success in the lab.
How Long Taper Tips Reduce Sample Loss in Solution
You've calibrated your pressure settings perfectly, your timing is precise, yet you're still watching expensive reagents leak into the bath solution during microinjection. Sound familiar? This frustrating scenario plays out in labs worldwide, often leading researchers to question their pump settings or injection protocols. But after years of troubleshooting with scientists using WPI's next generation microinjection systems, one critical factor emerges repeatedly: tip geometry.
The Importance of Long-Taper Pipettes for Cell Transfection
When it comes to gene modification and transfection research, success often depends on the smallest details. One of the most critical factors in microinjection-based techniques is the geometry of the pipette tip.
Introducing EVOM™ Auto, Ideal for Drug Discovery
Meet the EVOM™ Auto from World Precision Instruments, the breakthrough that’s revolutionizing drug discovery. When it comes to drug discovery, reliable data on barrier function and cell integrity is essential. Transepithelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) measurements have long been the gold standard for assessing barrier function and cell integrity, critical data for your research, but traditional TEER workflows are often slow, error‑prone, and labor‑intensive.
NEWS: EVOM Technology Used with 96-Well Human Gut Organoid-Derived Monolayer System
A new study by Altis Biosystems (Durham, NC) using the EVOM™ Auto is undergoing a peer review prior to publication. It addresses the challenge of predicting gastrointestinal toxicities (GITs) in drug development, which are common adverse events in clinical trials. Traditional animal models fail to accurately replicate human GI physiology, leading to late detection of GITs. Researchers Colleen Pike and James Levi (with their team) developed a high-throughput assay, a 2D human intestinal stem cell-derived model, which assesses cell proliferation, cell abundance, and barrier function to predict clinical diarrhea risk.
Micrometer Maintenance Tips: Ensure Precision & Longevity
Micrometers are the backbone of precision measurement in laboratory research. These sophisticated instruments, whether integrated into complex equipment or used as standalone tools, are critical for maintaining the accuracy that scientific work demands. Yet many researchers overlook a simple truth: even the finest micrometer is only as reliable as the care it receives.
Proper maintenance isn't just about extending instrument life. It's about protecting the integrity of your research data. A poorly maintained micrometer can introduce measurement errors that cascade through entire experiments, compromising months of work.
Forceps vs. Clamps: Understanding Their Different Roles
In surgical and laboratory settings, instruments are designed for highly specific functions. Two of the most common, forceps and clamps, may appear similar at first glance, but they serve distinct purposes. Understanding their differences helps researchers, veterinarians, and surgeons choose the right tool for precision and safety. Forceps and clamps serve distinct but complementary roles in surgical procedures, each designed for specific tasks and anatomical considerations.
Understanding TEER: A Key Tool for Studying Barrier Integrity
Cell barriers, such as the intestinal epithelium, blood–brain barrier, or corneal endothelium, are critical for controlling what enters and exits tissues. A compromised barrier can lead to disease, while a strong barrier is essential for maintaining health.
Understanding how our body's protective barriers function is crucial for advancing treatments and developing new therapies. For researchers, accurately measuring barrier integrity is vital in fields ranging from drug development to disease modeling. One of the most important tools scientists use to study these barriers is TEER (Transepithelial Electrical Resistance or Transendothelial Electrical Resistance). This powerful measurement technique provides valuable insights into the integrity and function of cellular barriers that protect our organs and tissues. TEER is a gold-standard, non-invasive technique for quantifying the integrity and permeability of cell monolayers grown in culture.
Preventing Cross-Contamination with Lab Scissors
You’re halfway through a procedure when it hits you... The surgical scissors in your hand were just used for something else. In a busy university research lab, that’s all it takes for cross-contamination to creep in. These unsung heroes of small animal surgery are always within reach, but if they move from one task to another without proper decontamination, they can silently sabotage months of careful work. One contamination event can invalidate entire data sets, force costly repeat procedures, or worse, compromise animal welfare.
8 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Hemostatic Forceps
In university small animal research, surgical precision directly impacts both data reliability and animal welfare. Hemostatic forceps are essential instruments for controlling bleeding and minimizing trauma. From fine Mosquito Forceps for microsurgery to robust Rochester Carmalt clamps for larger vessels, choosing the right instrument, and using it correctly, can dramatically improve your surgical outcomes.
But even experienced lab teams can fall into bad habits. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid, along with guidance on selecting the best hemostatic forceps for your protocols.
Choosing the Right Culture Dish Coating
With various options available for treated or untreated cell culture surfaces, how do you choose the right one for your research? From synthetic polycationic coatings like poly-L-lysine to ECM proteins like fibronectin and vitronectin, each surface treatment offers unique benefits tailored to specific cell specific applications and experimental goals. The choice impacts more than just adhesion. It can influence cell viability, behavior, differentiation, and even affect experimental reproducibility.
In this final post of our series, we’ll summarize the five coatings available on WPI’s our FluoroDish™ glass-bottom culture dishes and help you match the right surface to your application.
Essential Tips for Using Thumb Forceps in Veterinary Surgery
In small animal veterinary surgery, precision is vital, and success often depends on the smallest details. Whether you're performing a routine spay on a kitten or excising a mass from an elderly retriever, even the smallest instruments can shape a patient’s outcome. Among these, thumb forceps, commonly referred to as tweezers, quietly play a starring role in surgical success.
Fibronectin Coated Culture Dishes: A Signal-Rich Surface for Specialized Cells
When your cell culture experiments require more than just adhesion, when you need to guide cell behavior, support differentiation, or mimic in vivo tissue structure, fibronectin could be one of the suitable choices.
Fibronectin is a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein found naturally in the extracellular matrix (ECM), where it plays a vital role in cell signaling, migration, and morphogenesis. In vitro, it supports both structural attachment and biochemical communication through integrin-mediated pathways. In WPI’s 35 mm fibronectin coated FluoroDish™ with a 23 mm glass bottom provides a biologically active microenvironment, perfect for small-format, high-qualityimaging experiments where clarity and precision matter.
Vitronectin Coated Culture Dishes: Defined Conditions for Pluripotent Stem Cells.
Culturing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) requires more than a supportive surface, it demands consistency, control, and clinical readiness. Vitronectin is commonly used for culturing hPSCs since vitronectin supports growth and differentiation of these stem cells.
Vitronectin is an extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein that promotes cell adhesion and survival via integrin binding. It plays a critical role in xeno-free, feeder-free culture systems—especially for labs cultivating embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). WPI’s Vitronectin coated 35 mm FluoroDish™ with a 23 mm glass bottom viewing window, offers a biologically functional, imaging-optimized environment ideal for maintaining stem cells in their most pristine state.
The Impact of Improper Instrument Handling in Labs
University research labs face unique challenges when it comes to proper instrument handling, particularly given the constant rotation of students, postdocs, and visiting researchers. Poor handling practices can derail research projects, waste limited funding, and compromise student safety.
From Neurons to Nanowires: Selecting the Ideal Micromanipulator
Micromanipulators play a critical role in electrophysiology, as well as in micro/nanofabrication. Each application sector requires accurate positioning yet demands of a micromanipulator rig varies based on the specific application focus. From positioning for a patch clamp setup, in vivo placement, to fabrication of PCB/MEMS boards, each area has specific requirements that must be considered when deciding which micromanipulator is right for you. WPI offers several types of electrophysiology-focused products to suit your setup, as well as a breadth of micromanipulators to choose from for your specific application focus.
How Modern Scalpels Improve Surgical Outcomes
In today’s research and surgical environments, the quality of your tools can directly affect the quality of your results. For decades, WPI has supported life science researchers and microsurgeons with reliable, precision-engineered instruments. Among them, the scalpel, which is simple in concept but powerful in impact and continues to evolve to meet modern demands.
Poly-L-Lysine Coated Culture Dishes: Versatile, Reliable, & Biologically Active Surface
In most cell culture protocols, improving adhesion plays a critical role, but not every experiment necessarily requires coatings that remain stable long-term or biologically complex substrates. That’s where Poly-L-Lysine (PLL) proves to be a suitable choice
PLL is a synthetic polymer that enhances cell attachment by increasing the surface’s positive charge, helping negatively charged, anchorage-dependent cells adhere more readily to otherwise non-adhesive surfaces like glass or plastic. While it doesn’t mimic the extracellular matrix, PLL remains a trusted choice for labs needing short-term adhesion for cell culture studies of shorter duration, especially during transfection, immunostaining, or fixed-cell imaging. WPI’s 35mm FluoroDish™ with 23 mm glass-bottom culture dishes provides a consistent, high-clarity platform perfect for observing and documenting cellular events with confidence
Straight vs. Curved Surgical Scissors
In the world of surgical tools and laboratory precision, even subtle design differences can make a big impact. When it comes to surgical scissors, the choice between straight and curved blades is more than a matter of personal preference. It’s about matching the right tool to the right application.
Whether you're performing surface-level dissections, working deep in tissue, or handling delicate anatomical structures, understanding how blade geometry affects visibility, control, and access is essential. In this article, we’ll explore the unique benefits of both straight and curved surgical scissors, outline the applications where each excels, and help you make informed choices for your specific workflow.
Poly-D-Lysine Coated Culture Dishes: Long-Term Support for Neuronal Cultures
Not all mammalian cell types are simple to grow and maintain in cultures. Some cell types, e.g., NIH 3T3 cells, adhere onto tissue culture plastics easily and has fast doubling time. Some cell types, e.g., neurons are relatively difficult to grow in cultures since these cells tend to adhere poorly onto untreated surfaces and have slower doubling time. These neurons are highly sensitive, anchorage-dependent cells and often need more than a standard culture surface to survive, attach, and develop healthy and normal structural extensions. That’s why many neuroscientists rely on poly-D-lysine (PDL), a synthetic coating that provides stable, long-term support for these neuronal cells
PDL creates a positively charged surface that promotes robust adhesion of cells with low natural affinity to glass or plastic. Unlike its close cousin poly-L-lysine (PLL),
6 Tips for Properly Storing and Maintaining Thumb Forceps
Thumb forceps, the pinch-style instruments used in labs, cleanrooms, surgical suites, workshops, and even jewelry studios, are essential precision tools. Whether you’re handling tissue, adjusting tiny components, or manipulating delicate materials, keeping these instruments in top condition is key to both performance and longevity. Here are six tips to keep your thumb forceps in peak condition.
WPI & SynVivo Collaboration to Launch Next-Generation Multiplexed TEER-on-Chip Platform
World Precision Instruments (WPI), the global leader in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) technology, in collaboration with SynVivo, a leader in organ-on-chip (OOC) solutions, is proud to announce the launch of the EVOMTM Chip – a revolutionary multiplex TEER system designed specifically for real-time, non-destructive monitoring of OOC platforms.
Co-developed to support SynVivo’s state-of-the-art Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) OOC model, the EVOM™ Chip enables on-chip, multiplex TEER measurements with embedded electrodes. This innovation allows researchers and drug developers to continuously monitor up to 12 OOCs for barrier integrity while simultaneously enabling fluidics and imaging, offering hands-free operation with enhanced accuracy, precision, and reproducibility.