Flow Cytometry Core

Overview of Services

The Joslin Flow Cytometry Core provides reliable and affordable cell sorting and flow cytometry services to its users so that they can isolate, analyze, and study cells that increase our understanding of diabetes and its complications, and ultimately, develop treatments and cures for these diseases.

Cell sorting technology is continuously evolving and improving, enabling new approaches to questions in diabetes research. In addition, because flow cytometry is traditionally thought of as an immunology tool, the Joslin Core’s mission includes activities that enhance the use of flow cytometry in other research areas, bringing this technology to new users and stimulating new avenues of diabetes research.

Cell Analysis

• BD LSR-II: This instrument is equipped with four laser lines (488nm, 405nm, 561nm, and 640nm) and 15 fluorescent detectors. The current configuration allows for two colors off the blue laser, five colors off the yellow-green laser, three colors off the red, and six off of the violet.
• Miltenyi Biotec MACSQuant: The MACSQuant is capable of detecting up to eight fluorescent parameters and is equipped with 488nm, 633nm, and 405nm solid-state lasers. This instrument has the ability to provide absolute cell counts.
• BD LSRFortessa: This instrument is equipped with five laser lines (445nm, 405nm, 488nm, 561nm, and 640nm) and 17 fluorescent detectors, and the HTS (High Throughput Sampler) system which will enable fully automated sample acquisition from 96- and 384-well microtiter plates. The current configuration allows for two colors off the 445nm laser, three colors off the blue laser including GFP and YFP detection, five colors off the yellow-green laser, three colors off the red, and four off of the violet.

Consult the facility personnel for fluorochrome combination feasibility and necessary controls prior to designing your analysis experiment.

Cell Sorting

• MoFlo Legacy: This cell sorter is capable of high speed and single-cell sorting on up to eight fluorescent parameters and is equipped with three lasers (488nm, 355nm, and 640nm). The instrument has the capability of four-way sorting into tubes or single-cell sorting directly into plates or slides.

• SORP BD FACSAria: This instrument is capable of high speed and single-cell sorting on up to 15 fluorescent parameters and is equipped with five lasers (355nm, 488nm, 405nm, 561nm, and 640nm). It is capable of four-way sorting into tubes or single-cell sorting directly into plates or slides. This instrument is equipped with an Aerosol Containment System for the sorting of BSL-2 biohazardous samples.
• BD FACSAria IIu: This self-run instrument is capable of high speed and single-cell sorting on up to 12 fluorescent parameters and is equipped with three lasers (488nm, 405nm, and 640nm). It is capable of four-way sorting into tubes or single-cell sorting directly into plates or slides. This instrument is also equipped with an Aerosol Containment System for the sorting of BSL-2 biohazardous samples.

Consult the facility personnel for fluorochrome combination feasibility and necessary controls prior to designing your experiment.

Large Object Sorting

COPAS: The Complex Object Parametric Analyzer and Sorter (COPAS) BioSort system is specially designed to analyze and sort objects ranging from 40-250 microns.

Magnetic Cell Enrichment

AutoMACS: The AutoMACS provides high yield enrichment of rare cell populations via magnetic selection, which helps to reduce per user sort times by enabling better pre-sort enrichment of target cells.

CTL Anazlyzer
This analyzer is designed for scanning and evaluating a wide range of microtiter plate-based bioassays—in particular, ELISPOT assays. This instrument offers:

• Uncompromised quality of analyzer components
• Precise, fast, user-friendly scanning
• Objective, reproducible counting results

Automatic Cell Counting

• Cellometer: The Cellometer Vision Trio Cellprofiler system combines bright field microscopy and fluorescence detection to determine total cell numbers, measure cell viability, and quantify GFP expression.

Data Analysis

For flow cytometry data analysis the Core provides 2 FlowJo dongles that can be signed out from the core on a weekly basis.

Publication Disclaimer

If any of your research has been supported in full or in part by a Joslin Diabetes Center DRC Core, please acknowledge the NIH/NIDDK grant as follows: "Supported by DRC, Grant No. P30 DK036836."

Leadership

Location and hours of operation

Core is staffed:

Links and Resources

1. Flow Cytometry Core

Contacts