Instrumentation

Cell Sorters

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  • BD Aria Fusion - Cell Sorter

    The BD FACSAria Fusion is a high‑performance, high‑speed cell sorter designed for precise isolation of complex and rare cell populations. This instrument combines sensitive multicolor detection with flexible sorting formats, making it well suited for demanding downstream applications.

    Instrument Specifications

    • Instrument Configuration
    • Laser configuration: 4 lasers
    • Detection:
      • 15 fluorescence detectors
      • Forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC)
    • Sorting formats:
      • Tubes
      • Multiwell plates
      • Slides
    • Biosafety:
      • Fully enclosed within a Class II Type A2 biosafety cabinet
      • Approved for BSL‑2 samples
    • Sorting capability:
      • High‑speed, high‑purity sorting with excellent cell viability

    Applications

    The BD FACSAria Fusion supports a wide range of advanced applications, including:

    • High‑purity and rare population sorting
    • DNA and RNA isolation
    • Next‑generation sequencing workflows
    • Functional cellular assays
    • Sterile cell culture
    • Single‑cell cloning
    • Preparation of cells for in vivo animal studies
    • Sony SH800 - Cell Sorter
      Sony SH800 Cell Sorter

      The Sony SH800 is a compact, reliable benchtop cell sorter designed for efficient enrichment and purification of cell populations. Its streamlined design allows for rapid setup and straightforward operation, making it well suited for routine sorting applications.

      Instrument Specifications

      • Instrument Configuration
      • Laser configuration: 2 lasers
      • Detection:
        • 6 fluorescence detectors
        • Forward and side scatter parameters
      • Sorting format:
        • Tubes only
      • Biosafety:
        • No aerosol containment enclosure
        • BSL‑1 samples only

      Applications

      The Sony SH800 is ideal for:

      • Standard cell enrichment and depletion workflows
      • Sorting of abundant populations
      • Experiments requiring rapid setup and turnaround
      • Purification applications where ease of use and reliability are prioritized

      Use & Considerations

      • Due to the lack of an aerosol containment system, the Sony SH800 is restricted to BSL‑1 samples only.
      • The SH800 is best suited for projects that do not require high‑level biosafety containment or complex sort configurations.
      • Sony MA900 - Cell Sorter
        Sony MA900 Cell Sorter

        The Sony MA900 is a high‑performance, high‑speed cell sorter designed for advanced sorting applications requiring enhanced biosafety containment. Installed within a Class II Type A2 biosafety cabinet in the BSL‑3 environment, this instrument enables safe and precise isolation of cell populations from high‑risk samples while maintaining excellent purity and viability.

        Instrument Specifications

        • Instrument Configuration
        • Laser configuration: 4 lasers
        • Detection:
          • 12 fluorescence detectors
          • Forward and side scatter parameters
        • Sorting formats:
          • Tubes
          • Multiwell plates
        • Biosafety:
          • Fully enclosed in a Class II Type A2 biosafety cabinet
          • Located within a BSL‑3 laboratory
          • Suitable for BSL‑3 samples

        Applications

        The Sony MA900 is ideally suited for:

        • High‑purity and high‑speed cell sorting
        • RNA and DNA isolation
        • Functional cellular assays
        • Sterile cell culture workflows
        • Single‑cell sorting and downstream single‑cell applications
        • Experiments involving infectious or otherwise high‑risk biological samples
        • MidiMACS Magnets - Magnetic Cell Sorter
          Miltenyi MidiMACS

          The Miltenyi MidiMACS Magnet system provides a simple, non‑optical method for magnetic cell separation using antibody‑conjugated magnetic beads. This approach enables rapid cell enrichment or depletion based on surface marker expression without the need for lasers, detectors, or flow cytometry instrumentation.

          System Overview

          • No lasers – magnetic separation only
          • No detectors – no fluorescence or optical measurement
          • Cell separation is achieved through magnetic retention of labeled cells within compatible columns

          Availability

          • Six (6) Miltenyi MidiMACS Magnets are available for use within the Core Facility

          Compatible Column Types

          The MidiMACS Magnets are compatible with the following Miltenyi columns:

          • LS Columns
          • LD Columns
          • Whole Blood Columns

          These column types support a range of enrichment and depletion strategies depending on sample type and experimental goals.

          Applications

          • Magnetic bead‑based cell enrichment or depletion
          • Pre‑enrichment prior to flow cytometry or cell sorting
          • Isolation of specific immune cell populations
          • Rapid processing of whole blood or tissue‑derived samples
          • Applications where high purity is not required but speed and simplicity are prioritized

         

        Cell Analyzers

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        • BD FACSymphony A5 SE - Cell Analyzer

          The BD FACSymphony A5 SE is designed for advanced users and projects requiring maximum flexibility, scalability, and resolution. This high‑end flow cytometer supports both spectral and conventional flow cytometry, making it ideal for complex, high‑parameter experimental workflows.

          Instrument Specifications

          • Instrument Configuration
          • Laser configuration: 5 lasers
          • Detection:
            • Up to 50 detectors
            • Forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC)
          • Technology:
            • Supports spectral and conventional flow cytometry
          • High-Throughput Sampler (HTS):
            • Supports 96‑ and 384‑well plates

          Applications

          The FACSymphony A5 SE supports a wide range of advanced applications, including:

          • High‑order and high‑parameter panel analysis
          • Spectral unmixing experiments
          • Conventional multicolor flow cytometry
          • Intracellular and intranuclear staining
          • Cell cycle and proliferation analysis
          • Complex immunophenotyping and discovery‑based workflow

           
        • BD LSRFortessa - Cell Analyzer
          The BD LSRFortessa is well suited for robust, high‑quality analytical experiments requiring reproducible and sensitive fluorescence detection. It is an excellent platform for conventional multicolor assays and routine to advanced immunophenotyping workflows.

          Instrument Specifications

             
          • Instrument Configuration
          • Laser configuration: 4 lasers
          • Detection:
            • Up to 15 detectors
            • Forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC)
          • Technology:
            • Supports conventional flow cytometry
          • High-Throughput Sampler (HTS):
            • Supports 96‑ and 384‑well plates

          Applications

          The BD LSRFortessa supports a wide range of advanced applications, including:

          • High‑order and high‑parameter panel analysis
          • Spectral unmixing experiments
          • Conventional multicolor flow cytometry
          • Intracellular and intranuclear staining
          • Cell cycle and proliferation analysis
          • Complex immunophenotyping and discovery‑based workflows
          • BD High Throughput Sampler - Cell Analyzer Accessory
            BD High Throughput Sampler

            The BD High‑Throughput Sampler (HTS) is an automated sample delivery system that enables rapid acquisition of samples from multiwell plates when paired with the BD LSRFortessa™ and BD FACSymphony™ analyzers. The HTS is designed to increase throughput, improve consistency, and reduce hands‑on time for plate‑based flow cytometry experiments.

            Compatibility

            • BD LSRFortessa™ Analyzer
            • BD FACSymphony™ A5 SE Analyzer
            • Supports 96‑well and 384‑well plates

              Applications

              • Drug screening and functional assays
              • Time‑course or dose‑response experiments

              Use & Considerations

              • HTS use requires appropriate sample preparation, including proper cell concentration and filtration to prevent clogs.
              • Users should ensure plates are compatible with HTS acquisition and include sufficient volume per well.
              • Both independent trained users and staff‑assisted runs are supported, depending on experience level.
              • Training or a consultation is recommended prior to first HTS use, particularly for complex experiments.
            • Bio-Rad BioPlex 200 - Multiplex System

              The Bio‑Plex system enables efficient, high‑throughput bead‑based multiplex detection, allowing simultaneous quantification of multiple analytes using minimal sample volume. It is well suited for researchers performing protein‑level analysis across a wide range of biological applications.

              Instrument Specifications

              Technology

              • Bead‑based multiplex detection

              Capacity

              • Quantification of up to 100 analytes simultaneously

              Applications

              The Bio‑Plex system supports a range of multiplex protein analysis applications, including:

              • Cytokine profiling
              • Chemokine profiling
              • Protein biomarker analysis

              Accessories

              • Bio‑Plex II Plate Washer
                • Available at no charge for user assays
            • Bio-Rad Bio-Plex II - Plate Washer
              BioRad BioPlex Plate Washer

              The Bio‑Rad Bio‑Plex II Plate Washer is an automated plate washer available to Core Facility users free of charge. This instrument supports efficient and consistent washing for a variety of assay formats, including bead‑based and standard ELISA‑style workflows.

              System Features

              • Automated plate washing for consistent and reproducible results
              • Includes three interchangeable plate adapters:
                • General (flat‑bottom) plates
                • Magnetic bead plates
                • Vacuum plates

              Use & Supplies

              • The Bio‑Plex II Plate Washer is available at no cost to users.
              • Wash buffer is not provided by the Core Facility.
              • Users must bring their own wash buffer appropriate for their assay.

              Applications

              • Bio‑Plex bead‑based assays
              • Immunoassays and ELISA‑style workflows
              • High‑throughput plate washing for analytical experiments
            • CTL Immunospot - S6 Universal M2 - ELISPOT Analyzer

              The CTL ImmunoSpot S6 Universal M2 is a high‑performance platform for Enzyme‑Linked ImmunoSpot (ELISPOT) and FluoroSpot assays, enabling sensitive detection and quantification of cytokine‑secreting cells at the single‑cell level.

              Detection Capabilities

              • Instrument Configuration
              • Visible light imaging for enzymatic ELISPOT assays
              • Fluorescence channels:
                • UV LED 405 nm (Violet)
                • UV LED 480 nm (Blue)
                • UV LED 570 nm (Yellow)
                • UV LED 630 nm (Red)
              • Supports:
                • Enzymatic spot detection
                • Up to 6 simultaneous FluoroSpots

              Plate Compatibility

              • 96‑well plates (standard ELISPOT and FluoroSpot formats)

              Applications

              • Cytokine and chemokine secretion analysis
              • Antigen‑specific immune response monitoring
              • T‑cell and B‑cell functional assays
              • Vaccine and immunotherapy studies
              • Quantification of rare, antigen‑responsive cell populations