Cytometry Core Facility

Scientific Operations

The flow cytometry facility at the Wellcome Sanger Institute is a dedicated scientific service offering investigators with state of art flow cytometry instrumentation together with assistance in running samples, data analysis and experimental design. Sorting is also provided as a service application. The facility supports a range of flow cytometric techniques and currently has 9 cytometers located at F2-33, F2-34, F2-35 and F2-36. These include 5 high performance cell sorters that are customized for isolating cells and chromosomes at high speed and 4 high-throughput cell analysers that maximize the speed of acquisition of specimens from microtiter well plates (96 well plate, 384 well plate).

For a more in-depth explanation, listing of services and common flow cytometry applications, click read more.

Cell Analysers with High Throughput Sampler function

The facility has 4 high-throughput flow cytometer analysers with plate-reading capacity. These are all user-operated after user training by core facility staff.

• BD LSRII with HTS
• BD LSRFortessa1 with HTS
• BD LSRFortessa2 with HTS
• Beckman Coulter CytoFlex S

High Speed cell Sorters

The facility has 5 high speed flow cytometer sorters. 4 of them are housed in a Class ll Microbiological Safety Cabinets. The sorters are operated by core facility staff only except Sony SH800 and MA900.

• Mo-Flo (The Legacy)
• Mo-FloXDP
• BD INFLUX (Index cell sorting)
• 2 Sony Sorters (Index cell sorting)

Data Analysis Software

The Institute is currently running on a Site License by Flowjo, a flow cytometry data analysis software package which offers a range of analysis platforms that includes compensation, cell cycle, proliferation studies and kinetics. Activation of license is required for usage. Please contact the core facility at cytometry@sanger.ac.uk for more details.

Flow Cytometry Training

The facility offers analyser, sorter and analysis training for all users of the facility. Please visit iGrow

Booking

All flow cytometers are booked through the online booking calendar PPMS. For details on how to make booking, please visit Cytometry confluence page.

What is flow cytometry?

Flow Cytometry is a laser based technology that is used to measure the physical and chemical characteristics of cells. Such measurements are made while the cells flow in a liquid medium past an excitation light source and the emitted fluorescence captured by its measuring apparatus. It is an important tool for many scientific disciplines as it allows qualitative and quantitative examination of the whole cells as well as characterization of cells within a sample.

To learn more, please click this website.

Common Applications of Flow Cytometry