Barry Moran

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 1^st Virtual European Flow Core Meeting!