The Seahorse Wave Desktop software is an ongoing project that is under continuous development. It is the longest project that I've ever supported, going on 8 years. The software's main objective is to measure ECAR (extracellular respiration rate) and OCR (cellular acidification rate) in the simplest most intuitive way possible.
It started with a complete redesign as a part of the onboarding of Seahorse as an Agilent acquisition. This included converting the previous design into the Microsoft-inspired, ribbon-based architecture that Agilent's OpenLab software is based upon.
Wave is considered by customers in the cell anlaysis industry to have the best usability for any software in its class.
Lucid Design System
Agilent's first design system was originally designed by the agency Big Tomorrow for their OpenLab software that serves their MS, GC and LC products. It was not designed for the type of cell biology work that was required for Seahorse, so (apart from the ribbon) much of the interface was customized for Wave.
Wave is a unique software in two parts. A desktop, version, for designing and analyzing assays which can be installed on any PC. A controller version that is installed on a custom touchscreen PC that is connected to an XF analyzer. The controller has additional functionality for instrument control and runtime.
Wave 2.4: the first Agilent version
Wave 2.6 and Cell Imaging and Normalization App
In support of greater accuracy of data, it's important to know how many cells are actually in each well. Having that information allows for "Normalization" of a customer's data. We co-branded a solution with BioTek's Cytation Imager (years before being acquired by Agilent) that would do this. We created a mini-application, the Cell Imaging and Normalization App, installed on the Wave Controller, that would capture images for Seahorse assays from the Cytation. We also integrated imaging features into Wave Desktop and Controller for importing, analyzing and applying the data.
The Workflow
Cell Imaging and Normalization App
Wave Desktop / Controller 2.6 Imaging Features
Wave 3.0: Wave for Pharma
Targeting the pharmaceutical drug development market, Wave 3.0 contained numerous features and took several years to complete. Some of the large features are listed below.
Data QC
Software Wizard for Creating Titration/Dose Response Assays
Analysis Views for Titrations and Screening with Heat Mapping
IQOQ Testing: First Time Startup and On-Demand
