Services

DATA ACQUISITION

• Core personnel will acquire your data on either the Cytek Aurora CS or Bio-Rad ZE5.
  Instrument use is charged in 30 min. increments and usage is always rounded up to the nearest 30 min.
• Samples may be dropped off or alternatively, the investigator may wait while the samples are being run.
• Samples must be filtered through a 35-70mm cell strainer
• See “sample guidelines and protocols” for sample best practices.

CELL SORTING

• Cell Sorting is performed only by FCCS core staff.
• Charges include a set-up fee plus instrument use; charged in 30 min. increments and usage is always rounded up to the nearest 30 min.
• Samples may be dropped off or alternatively, the investigator may wait while the samples are being run.
• Samples must be filtered through a 35-70mm cell strainer 
• See “sample guidelines and protocols” for sample best practices.

DATA ANALYSIS

• An initial consultation between investigator and core staff is required to address gating strategies, layout design etc.
• Raw data will be analyzed in FlowJo or equivalent software and will be provided as
• Charge is per 30 min rounded up to the nearest 30 min.

TRAINING

• Users can be trained to operate the ZE5 or acquire data on the Cytek Aurora CS by FCCS staff only.
• Trained users have independent access to the FCCS lab and can use the equipment after hours.
• Training consists of an online flow cytometry course, followed by hands-on training by FCCS staff. The initial hands - on training session is 1.5 hrs and subsequent sessions are approximately 1hr each. After the first session, users can bring “real” samples to the training. Once users demonstrate competency using the equipment and knowledge of the FCCS core policies – ie biosafety, they will be given independent access.

CONSULTATION / PANEL DESIGN / TROUBLESHOOTING 

• FCCS core staff are available to help with panel design, troubleshooting procedures etc. at no charge
• Investigators should contact core staff via email to schedule a time for consultation.

APPLICATIONS

BIO-RAD ZE5

• Immunophenotyping – Multicolor analysis of cell populations using up to 16 different fluorochrome-labeled markers.
• Cell cycle analysis – DNA content measurement, proliferation studies and cell division kinetics using Propidium iodide or DAPI staining.
• Apoptosis detection – Annexin V/PI assays for early and late apoptotic cell identification in drug screening and toxicity studies
• Intracellular cytokine staining – functional immune cell analysis such as Th1/Th2/Th17 profiling and cytokine production assessment.
• Stem cell research - rare cell population identification, marker expression and differentiation studies
• Extracellular vesicle analysis – small particle detection capabilities enable exosome and micro vesicle characterization.
• Drug screening and cytotoxicity – viability assays, dose response studies and compound efficacy testing.
• Bacterial and yeast analysis – microbial viability, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and engineered organism screening.

CYTEK AURORA CS

• Ultra-high parameter immunophenotyping – comprehensive immune system profiling with 60+ markers simultaneously for systems immunology
• Single-cell proteomics – detailed protein expression analysis at the single-cell level across multiple pathways.
• Clinical immunology – advanced diagnostic panels for immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and hematologic malignancies
• Vaccine development – Multiparameter analysis of immune responses, antibody production and T cell memory formation.
• Aging and senescence research – comprehensive senescence marker panels and age-related immune changes
• Rare cell sorting – precision isolation of extremely rare cell populations for downstream genomic analysis.
• Developmental biology – Comprehensive lineage tracing and developmental stage marker analysis
• Microbiome-host interaction studies – detailed analysis of host immune responses to microbial communities.