Case study: University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)

BINDER CO2-incubator supports schizophrenia research at UHI with precise and reliable incubation.

University research in biomedical sciences

A tertiary education institute in Scotland, UHI conducts biomedical research and has expertise in Genetics and Immunology, Lipidomics and Medical Nanotechnology.

The schizophrenia research group uses cellular and molecular techniques to investigate the causes of schizophrenia. In particular, the team is investigating genetic background and abnormal cellular mechanisms that might influence susceptibility to developing schizophrenia.

Pilomena Hallford standing in front of BINDER CO2 incubators holding a cell culture flask in her hand.

Reliable incubation for neural cell research

The research group at UHI uses a BINDER CB 170 CO2 incubator with O2 control to culture induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiated neural progenitor cells (NPCs) as part of ongoing schizophrenia research.

The CB 170 provides controlled environmental conditions at 37°C with and without 5% O2 and with humidity control. Its oxygen control function allows researchers to create hypoxic conditions (5% O2) that are critical for modelling cellular processes involved in schizophrenia. “It is essential to be able to control the hypoxic levels easily, and to disable the O2 control when it’s not needed”, Philomena Hallford, PhD student, and research technician, explains. “It is a great feature and is essential in our department.”

Straightforward operation and continuous use

With the CB 170 CO2 incubator BINDER offers a solution that meets all the technical and operational requirements for reliable cell cultivation. The intuitive and user-friendly touchscreen simplifies environmental adjustments, while the CO2-shaker adds flexibility for dynamic work. It is easy to use with an external control and can be removed when not in use and extra incubator space is needed.

BINDER’s professional setup and maintenance services support long-term reliability of the incubator, ensuring stable operation for continuous cell culture cultivation. At UHI, annual maintenance is carried out by an approved provider and proceeds smoothly. The incubator has been in continuous use for neural progenitor cell propagation under hypoxic conditions, where precise oxygen regulation is critical.

Supporting advanced research on schizophrenia

The BINDER CO2 incubator with O₂ control provides UHI’s schizophrenia research group with a dependable and adaptable platform for sensitive cell culture applications.

Its reliable performance, user-friendly operation, and precise environmental control contribute directly to advancing the understanding of schizophrenia at the cellular level.

It is essential to be able to control the hypoxic levels easily, and to disable the O2 control when it’s not needed. It is a great feature and is essential in our department.

Philomena Hallford, PhD student and research technician

University of the Highlands and Islands