2008 Press Releases-20

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it has entered into an agreement with the Carl Zeiss Group, the world's largest producer of high-performance microscopes, to sell the Yokogawa CSU-X1 confocal scanner unit in all markets outside Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, Carl Zeiss will incorporate the CSU-X1 into their Cell Observer SD confocal microscope system. Sales are planned to begin in November 2008 and will target medical and biological research applications involving the observation of live cells.

Since launching the CSU series in 1996, Yokogawa has delivered more than 1,400 units all over the world, and this system now enjoys the top share of the live cell imaging market. It is expected that this collaboration with Carl Zeiss will boost sales of the CSU-X1 confocal scanner unit.

Background to the Agreement
Remarkable progress in molecular biology has led to a need in the medical and biology fields to better understand the physiological functions of live cells. Researchers require a sophisticated technology that allows real-time observation of protein behavior and physiological responses in live cells.

Conventional light microscopes cannot be used to observe reactions in live cells because the cells need to be ground or cut. With the CSU series' ability to continuously change the focal plane, no advance processing is necessary and it can be used to observe live cells and other three-dimensional objects.

By incorporating the market leading CSU-X1, Carl Zeiss will be able to extend the range of applications for their confocal microscope system. For Yokogawa, sales of the CSU-X1 will be boosted through the brand, sales network, and service network of the Carl Zeiss Group.

About the CSU-X1
The CSU-X1 has all the enhanced features of our CSU series such as high-speed scanning, high resolution, and clear image quality, and delivers the world's fastest scanning speed of 2,000 frames per second, twice that of our previous products. The optics in the CSU-X1 have also been drastically upgraded, with twice the excitation efficiency (efficiency of the laser beam) and one-third the background noise of earlier models, enabling the observation of specimens with weaker fluorescence. As a result, the system can acquire clear images of even rapid biological reactions. In addition, thanks to the multi-beam scanning method using the Nipkow disk and a microlens, phototoxicity and photobleaching are minimized, making this system an essential tool in live cell imaging.

Yokogawa's Commitment to This Field
In the 1980s, Yokogawa succeeded in developing a practical confocal scanning technology using laser beams. The company continued researching the application of this technology in confocal microscopes and eventually succeeded in developing a revolutionary new approach combining a Nipkow disk with a microlens array. Using this technology, we released the CSU10 confocal scanner in 1996, and it had a full-frame imaging speed of 30 frames per second. After further R&D, we were able to increase this speed to 1,000 frames per second in the CSU21 (2000) and CSU22 (2003). In 2007, the CSU-X1 recorded the highest imaging speed of 2,000 frames per second, catapulting us to the top position in the industry.