Flow Cytometry Home
Regional Flow and Imaging Meeting - GLIIFCA
I'd like to extend an invitation to a really great regional flow cytometry and imaging meeting that focuses not just on flow/imaging technology, but also application innovation and clinical topics as well. Attached is a flyer for the Great Lakes International Imaging and Flow Cytometry Association meeting September 19 - 21, 2008 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. It's close, it's cheap, and you'll get the opportunity to hang out with the flow lab!!!
Bring a poster to the meeting and you're eligible for a $100 stipend to help defray travel/hotel costs. You could also be awarded $150 for being selected as one of the most outstanding poster...like David was in 2006!
Contact the flow lab for mo (click on title for more...)
Submitted: 29 July 2008, 4:59 pm
The trouble with Filters
We've recently gone through some filter issues on the new LSRII-B. It turns out 2 of the filters pre-installed on our LSRII were bad. The two in question are the Alexa 700 filter and the Pac Orange. The Alexa 700 filter (720/40) was a non-standard diameter filter (probably 12mm diameter or so), and when the filter was in place, it would tip forward a bit since it was not snug in the filter holder. This allowed stray laser light or ambient light to get in and swamp the detector. The solution? Simply putting in a standard, 1 inch filter at 730/45. This should now allow for true, 3-color detection off the red laser. The Pac Orange filter was just a bad filter...sometimes you get a bad coating. We received 3 filters to try in its replacement; a 560/40, 550/40, and a 565/30. The winner will be chosen empirically by looking at not just how much PacOrange it collects, but how much Qdot 605 and PacBlue is excludes. If you want to give the different filters a try yourself, send me a (click on title for more...)
Submitted: 23 July 2008, 10:40 am
Is printing hard copies really necessary?
I honestly cannot remember the last time I printed out a hard copy of my flow data. At the end of each flowjo analysis and batch creation, I simply "print" a pdf of the output and save that into my electronic "notebook". The flow lab has recently been going through A LOT of printer ink and paper, and methinks there is a ton of frivolous printing going on. We have slowly been getting rid of printers and only using them for sorting snapshots. You may notice that there isn't even a printer available when you're on the analysis workstations. This is not a computer issue, it's an effort to reduce unnecessary printing. We recommend you make a pdf of your flowjo output, take it back to your lab, and if you really must, print it out there. If you really, absolutely, must print something in the flow lab, ask us and we'll allow it on a limited basis. If you have any questions about doing this in flowjo, just ask and we'll be happy to show you. (click on title for more...)
Submitted: 17 July 2008, 1:09 pm
Flow Cytometry Data is Beautiful
So, why not make your latest flow analysis into a work of art? Read on for info regarding the "Science in Art" exhibit, or visit uchisciart.org for more details.
Science in Art 2008 Issues Call for Art
Science in Art, a juried art exhibit that features art from scientist-artists from The University of Chicago, Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories and Chicago artists whose subject is science, is accepting art submissions for the Science in Art exhibit 2008 and will accept submissions through Friday, August 22, 2008. The exhibit was developed in response to the need for educating the public about the process, challenges and benefits of science and technology.
Submitted: 24 June 2008, 9:32 am
'Not all DI water are alike' or 'Why the Aria Broke.'
Symptoms: Anything we put through the FACSAria, came out dead. Not like exploded, obliterated dead, just permeable to trypan blue, not-able-to grow, dead. Secondly, tandems looked weird. For example, PE-Cy7 would have a PE-Cy7 positive population, but then it would also have a PE positive population, as if the Cy7 portion of the tandem was getting quenched. However, the PECy7 antibody was fine since it looked normal on the MoFlo.
Troubleshooting: Obviously, the 1st thing to check is the buffer. So, I collected some PBS exiting the Aria's flow cell, mixed that buffer with some cells, and ran them on the instrument and checked them under the microscope. They were fine, suggesting the buffer itself was not killing the cells. I then turned to the (HPLC) valve that controls sample uptake. I disconnected the sample line, after the valve, but before the flow cell, collected some cells, and then reran them. They were fine again, suggesting that it's not the HPLC valve tha (click on title for more...)
Submitted: 20 June 2008, 9:06 am
Troubleshooting: Obviously, the 1st thing to check is the buffer. So, I collected some PBS exiting the Aria's flow cell, mixed that buffer with some cells, and ran them on the instrument and checked them under the microscope. They were fine, suggesting the buffer itself was not killing the cells. I then turned to the (HPLC) valve that controls sample uptake. I disconnected the sample line, after the valve, but before the flow cell, collected some cells, and then reran them. They were fine again, suggesting that it's not the HPLC valve tha (click on title for more...)
The Flow Cytometry Facility at the University of Chicago provides instrumentation, education, and expertise for the University's Faculty. The mission of the facility is three-fold:
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