We are delighted to announce our invited speakers
FACS Core Facility, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
The Danish Society for Flow Cytometry (DSFCM) was established in 1988 to unite Danish researchers and clinicians working within the field of flow cytometry. Initially, the focus of the society was to standardize flow cytometry practices among clinicians. Over time the focus has shifted and is currently emphasizing research aspects and new applications of flow cytometry. DSFCM organizes two annual meetings with varying flow cytometry related themes and relevant national or international invited speakers. The purpose is to connect the Danish researchers who are particularly interested in flow cytometry, to facilitate the communication and stimulate the research amongst members. We always prioritize time for networking and time to talk to company members as part of the meeting program. Attendance at our biannual meetings is free, but we often combine the meetings with social events for society members only. About every 3 years, DSFCM is part of a joint Nordic meeting with the Norwegian and Swedish flow cytometry societies.
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
The Flow Cytometry Facility in Trinity College Dublin was set up in 2005 and is located in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI). This is the best equipped flow core in Ireland with one state-of-the-art cell sorter (FACSAria Fusion), an imaging cytometer (ImageStream X Mark II), a full-spectrum analyser (Aurora), four conventional flow cytometers (Advanteon, LSRFortessa, FACSCanto II & Accuri C6). The facility is now beginning to oversee additional technologies, including numerous Seahorse instruments and an in vivo fluorescence & luminescence imager.
So what about next steps? Given the crossover and complementarity of cell analysis technologies such as flow cytometry, microscopy, genomics, metabolomics, and spatial transcriptomics, there is a clear rationale for closer integration of core services. Whereas technology facilities have frequently been siloed entities, consolidating research infrastructure across the biosciences should ensure more cohesive strategy and oversight, minimise redundancy in terms of instrumentation and expertise, and streamline management and administration.
Where better to seek advice than at this 1st Virtual European Flow Core Meeting!
EMBL-Heidelberg Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
The facility and EMBL’s scientific program are by all means very diverse and has very little in common with standard immunological Flow Cytometry core facilities. We have more than 100 different users from 31 different research groups. Our users come from very different backgrounds and project programs spanning from complex systems biology based on bacterial communities, the development of early cnidarians to simple bilaterians (Zebrafish, Drosophila), complex mammalian cell culture, all the way to disease models in mouse and primary human samples. Given the broad nature of our user’s backgrounds, our support at the facility spans the complete field of Flow Cytometry experimentation (design, testing, execution, and final analysis).
The facility closely collaborates with other EMBL core facilities to develop and apply experimental procedures for single-cell sequencing, phenomics analysis, and metabolomics studies. It also plays a leading role in assessing and refining cutting-edge technologies. In the past five years, the facility has actively participated in early-access programs to evaluate new technologies from its industry partners. Notably, it formed a significant partnership with BD Biosciences for the early testing and characterization of the image cell sorter, a revolutionary breakthrough in the FACS field. This collaboration led to a high-impact publication describing the technology and established the facility as one of the first in Europe to offer Image Cell Sorting as a new service.
In the ever-evolving landscape of flow cytometry, where new technologies and methodologies emerge at an unprecedented pace, the facilities faces the critical challenge of staying at the forefront of innovation. How to keep cutting edge?. Join this crib talk to know about our facility, how we support our users, and how do we participate in collaborative research endeavours!.
Vib-Ugent Center for Inflammation Research
Gert Van Isterdael is head of the VIB Flow Core Ghent. After obtaining his Bachelor of Science, he was subsequently a member of the De Jaeger lab (2003-2007) and the Beeckman lab (2007-2013) at the VIB Center of Plant Systems Biology (PSB). During his time at PSB, he became the cell sorter operator for the department and his passion for flow cytometry started. Early 2013, he joined the VIB Center for Inflammation Research (IRC) in the Lambrecht and Hammad lab. He became responsible for all flow cytometers and cell sorters located at IRC and was strongly involved in the conception of the IRC Flow Core facility, which matured in the VIB Flow Core Ghent. His primary role is to provide flow cytometry expertise to the users of the core facility. He is an active member of ISAC, the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry and has received an ISAC SRL Emerging leader award (2016-2020).
Head of Flow Cytometry Unit. Centre for Genomic Regulation and University Pompeu Fabra. Barcelona, Spain.
The Flow Cytometry Unit at Centre for Genomic Regulation and Pompeu Fabra University was created in 2001 to assist the needs of our scientific community at PRBB and its influence area of Barcelona, Spain. With most advanced technology and highly qualified and motivated staff our unit is currently a highly advanced flow unit. Our main mission is to provide users with access to state-of-the-art technology, constant assistance and individual training to develop their flow experiments and projects, from the simplest to the most complex ones. We currently have almost 500 users and we cove the needs or around 350 per year from more than 150 research groups. We count with several analysers and cell-sorters to cover all existing flow cytometry applications. Additionally, we implement and develop other applications based on user’s needs. As an example, recently we implemented the flow karyotyping for chromosome sequencing and nowadays we are focused in the identification and isolation of nanoparticles such us viruses and extracellular vesicles, clear hot topics in the field.
Max Perutz Labs
The Max Perutz Labs represent a collaborative venture between the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna, leveraging the unique advantages of their prime location within the vibrant Vienna BioCenter Campus. This strategic positioning, coupled with close proximity to the esteemed Vienna General Hospital, fosters an unparalleled synergy for scientific innovation. Moreover, the majority of our workforce, directly employed through the universities, cultivates an environment of stability and consistency, setting us apart from the transient nature of project-based employment.
In recent years, there has been a growing trend favouring the adoption of flow cytometry as a primary approach, gaining popularity among in-house labs as well. This trend has resulted in an expansion of both the number of machines and the workforce at our facility over the past three years. Currently, our operations are managed by two persons overseeing an impressive line-up of equipment, from cutting-edge cell sorters and analyzers to a large particle sorter. This setup not only revolutionizes our workflow but also streamlines budgeting, cushioning us against the impact of machine downtimes.
While the scientific facilities within Max Perutz Labs are financially interconnected, each operates as a distinct entity, boasting independent core heads and specialized scientific user committees. However, this decentralized structure poses a challenge—a limitation in achieving a holistic, institution-wide overview of instrument maintenance, aging, and upcoming technological investments. Consequently, the absence of a unified strategy impedes tackling expensive instrument repairs and embracing technological advancements uniformly across the institution.
Navigating this complexity underscores the delicate balance between financial synergy and cohesive planning essential for the seamless functioning of individual facilities within Max Perutz Labs. Finding harmony between these units ensures we scale new heights while revolutionizing scientific exploration and innovation.
Most commercial cytometers are equipped with software modules to assure that instruments are performing to specifications using standardized reference beads (QC). Usually, the software allows visualization over time through Levey-Jenning plots. Unfortunately, these software modules are often limited in ease of use and limited to visualization of only a single or a few parameters. Furthermore, these software modules are usually limited to a single instrument, which makes extensive instrument monitoring for a large SRL very time consuming.
To facilitate easier and more advanced monitoring of instrument performance we have developed FlowMonitor, an R-shiny app that allows users without coding experience to analyze QC data in full detail and for multiple instruments. The app is currently compatible with the Cytek Aurora, BD instruments running FACSDiva or FACSSuite and Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX SRT instruments and adapts to any cytometer configuration. The app allows visualization of all parameters reported during QC, comparisons between detectors, lasers and even different instruments. In addition, lines can be added to indicate thresholds or interventions, allowing more easy determination of the effect of the intervention.
We have tested FlowMonitor with QC data from 5 Cytek Aurora spectral cytometers obtained over a period of 3 years. This has allowed us to compare instrument stability and performance, visualize laser degradation over time and identify issues that were identified during QC. This has led to the software being used on a weekly basis within our SRL. In the future, we plan to expand FlowMonitor by including more instruments from different vendors. In addition, we plan to use machine-learning to find predictive parameters in the QC data. The To allow other SRL reduce their instrument down-time, the app is available for testing and will be made publicly available.
Jenny Kirsch1, Alexander Wolf1, Daniel Kage1, Konrad v. Volkmann2, Toralf Kaiser1
1German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin (DRFZ) - Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Charitéplatz 1 (Virchowweg 12), 10117 Berlin, Germany
2 APE Angewandte Physik und Elektronik GmbH, Plauener Straße 163-165 / Haus N, 13053 Berlin, Germany
Various biohazardous materials such as cells, bacteria, or viruses may be present in flow cytometer waste. Therefore, the waste is chemically or physically inactivated through complex processes to prevent environmental impact. Inactivating waste from multiple cytometers is a time-consuming task for core facilities.
In addition, aseptic cell sorting is challenging, especially when a cell sorter is not operated in a sterile environment. Therefore, a regular cleaning procedure is required to prepare a sorter for aseptic cell sorting by flushing the fluid system with sodium hypochlorite or ethanol. However, this procedure is time-consuming and, most importantly, the researcher can never be sure that the cleaning process was successful. In addition, residues of cleaning agents in the fluidic system are toxic to the cells.
Here we present a method based on a UV-C reactor for flow-through inactivation of the sheath and waste fluid. The reactor, which contains 4 UV-C LEDs with an emission wavelength of 265 nm, has been used on four different cell sorters and analyzers. Using the reactor, we were able to decontaminate sheath and waste fluids contaminated with bacteria or cells to enable antibiotic-free long-term cell culture or to avoid time-consuming decontamination procedures.
