Cytek Aurora CS

University Of Virginia, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

SUMMARY / ABSTRACT The Flow Cytometry Core Facility (FCCF) in the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia (UVA) seeks funds for the purchase of a Cytek Aurora CS Full Spectral Cell Sorter. UVA was an early adopter of mass cytometry and spectral flow cytometry, and the FCCF currently houses two Cytek Aurora Full Spectral Cytometers that serve a broad user base spanning diverse fields of study. These technologies have the major advantage over conventional flow cytometry of resolving much higher numbers of fluorescent parameters. This feature enables paralleled phenotyping of many more cell types, and elucidation of molecular signatures to a much higher degree of complexity. A group of Major and Minor users currently utilize fluorescent panels to detect up to 41 parameters in human and mouse models to analyze complex cellular systems. The Cytek Aurora CS Full Spectral Cell Sorter will seamlessly integrate with available technologies in the Core and accomplish the following key objectives: (1) allow the transition of already optimized high-dimensional fluorescent panels directly from existing Aurora Spectral Cytometers to the Aurora CS Cell Sorter to enhance multiple ongoing research programs; (2) enable high purity cell sorting on complex cell subsets that require up to 41 fluorescent markers, to isolate cells for functional assays and other single-cell downstream applications; (3) provide parallel sorting on up to 6 different populations; and (4) provide the ability to sort and recover high-dimensional analytical data, thereby maximizing data generated on valuable human specimens that may contain low numbers of cells. The FCCF evaluated three cell sorters with the ability to provide high-dimensional sorting, and chose to demo two of them based on user needs. The Cytek Aurora CS Full Spectral Cell Sorter was found to be the best suited to achieve our objectives and serve our investigators’ needs for current and future investigations.