A flow cytometer can make multiple measurements on individual cells and to do that 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 particular cell populations for further analysis by other techniques, or to put them in to culture.
With our high-end instrumentation we can:
- Separation of up to 6 sub-populations simultaneously
- Analyse in excess of 20 fluorescent markers in a single sample
- Bulk or single cell sorting into various size tubes, eppendorfs, culture plates or slides
- Separation of live or fixed samples that can be used in several downstream applications such as reculture, 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
Instruments available:
- BD FACSAria II cell sorter (5 lasers, can detect up to 16 colours at once and sort 4 different populations including single cells)
The sorter is operated solely by the Facility Team. Internal users should submit a cell sorting request form and sent to cytometry@mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk which can be found on the Unit Intranet.
We welcome enquires regarding possible uses.