A flow cytometer can make multiple measurements on individual cells in suspension on thousands of cells per second, which can reveal the heterogeneity in cell populations hidden by other techniques.
On flow cytometers with the 'sorting' capability, it is possible to go beyond analysis of the sample and physically separate out cell populations for further analysis by other techniques, or to put them in to culture.
Instruments available:
BD FACSAria II cell sorter (5 lasers, can detect up to 18 colours at once and separate up to 4 different cell sub-populations simultaneously). Capable of:
- Bulk or single cell sorting into various size tubes, eppendorfs, culture plates or slides, at room temperature, 4°C or 37°C
- Separation of live or fixed samples that can be used in several downstream applications such as cell culture, immunophenotyping, cell cycle analysis, Western blots, CRISPR screening, SMART-seq etc
- Sort samples under Level 1 containment
- Sort rates are up to 20,000 cells per second
- Aerosol management is installed
The sorter is operated solely by the Facility Team. Users should contact the facility to discuss the experiments and submit a cell sorting request form (available on request or in the Unit’s Intranet) to cytometry@mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk