F
LEXCELL
®
I
NTERNATIONAL
C
ORPORATION
19
instructions on programming additional steps.
Problem 5: Plate wells are drying up during
the experiment
Solution 5:
When vacuum is pulled to expand the
silicone membranes at the bottom of the
BioFlex
®
wells, the volume of the well
increases, pulling air into the well from the
atmosphere. When the membranes contract,
the air is pushed back out. Because of this
cyclic airflow during any experiment, the
fluid evaporation rate in the BioFlex
®
wells
will increase. The best solution to this
problem is to use more culture medium.
Problem 6: “An invalid argument was
encountered" error is shown when
attempting to assign a regimen.
Solution 6:
This problem is caused when a user name
is entered into the software without any
regimens listed under his/her name. If the
assign function sees that a user has nothing to
assign an error is displayed. Simply delete the
user(s) without a regimen or make and save a
regimen under the user(s) name(s).
Problem 7: Water is accumulating quickly
in the Water Traps
Solution 7:
This problem is likely due to a poor gasket
seal on the BioFlex
®
baseplate. See the
solution to Problem 1 to correct this. Be sure
to empty the Water Traps frequently if this
problem occurs. Water accumulation in the
FlexLink
®
can damage the valves.
Problem 8: Cells are growing only in the
center of the wells due to a) excessive
volume of medium in the well, causing
pooling of the cells in the middle of the well
due to gravity or b) incomplete
trypsinization or over-trypsinization of
cells, causing clumping and uneven
distribution of cells
Solution 8:
a)
Use 2-3 ml of media at plating. After
cell adhesion, add medium to 5 ml.
Start a flexing regimen prior to cell
attachment; cells will be distributed
evenly over the growth surface during
active flexing.
b)
Trypsinize once for about 10-15
minutes, or less, depending on the
cell type being used.
Problem 9: Cells are not attaching
properly to the growth surface or are
detaching during stretching
Solution 9:
This problem can be caused by plating
too many cells. Try plating with a lower cell
density—if the cells are not confluent, they
will form a matrix with the collagen (or other
matrix coating), attaching more securely to
the growth surface. Also, check with
Flexcell
®
to be sure that the best matrix
coating for attachment of the particular cell
type is being used.
Problem 10: One or more of the FX5K
™
Tension FlexLinks
®
connected to the
system are not being recognized by the
software. This is usually represented by
the error message “Cannot Connect to
Controller” when attempting to connect a
FlexLink
®
to assign a regimen.
Solution 10:
This problem is usually due to a lack of
communication between the computer and
one or more FX5K
™
Tension FlexLinks
®
.
Check the FX5K
™
Tension FlexLink
®
Ethernet port connection on the computer
and the communications connection on the
back of the FlexLink
®
to be sure that these
are secure. Check the FlexLink
®
to see if the
power is ON (the FlexLink screen should
power on). If both of these conditions are
