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Principal Investigator: Harris R Perlman
Organization: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO
Fiscal Year: 2019
Award: $904,075
Funding agency: NIH Office of the Director
Project Summary/ Abstract
The aim of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center Flow Cytometry Core Facility is to
provide analysis and cell sorting to enhance scientific interaction and productivity within Northwestern
University's research community. This is accomplished by allowing access to quality controlled highly
specialized technology, education and technical assistance in a cost-effective manner. All sorting
demands for the entire campus are accomplished on five BD instruments (three high-end and two mid-
level sorters). Our high-end sorters are heavily utilized and exceed over 5712 hours, even though
our total practical capacity is 4572 hours. This, together with the increased user demand, leads to
scheduling wait times of 3-5 weeks. Since much of our user base utilizes human patient and other time-
sensitive specimens, which tend to come in at short notice, we are no longer able to accommodate
these sorting requests in a timely manner. Due to this overutilization of our high-end sorters, the
reduction in availability has negatively impacted our investigators' research. Additionally, the
performance and capabilities of the current high-end sorters are not well matched to the evolving
complex analytical instruments and user demands in the field of high-parameter flow cytometry. With
the purchase of 6-laser 30-parameter BD FACSymphony cell analyzer in January 2018, many of the
users have transitioned or are in the process of transitioning to complex 15-25 color assays for end
point analysis. However, the current FACSAria's lack the ability to translate these panels directly into
cell sorting for further downstream assays, thus hampering research. The FACSAria allows for
collecting only from a maximum 15-16 simultaneous colors. Also, the lower speed of the electronics
limits the collection of a sort population to no more than 8 sequential gates; and only a maximum of 4
populations sorted at a time. These limitations, relative to high-parameter analytical results and sorting
capacity has substantially hindered user satisfaction and scientific progress of our Northwestern
Research community. This proposal is for purchase of a BD FACSymphony S6 High Parameter SORP
cell sorter, a bench-top high speed cell sorter equipped with five lasers (355, 405, 488, 561, and 637nm)
capable of analyzing up to 28 different colors plus forward and side scatter. The instrument, in addition
to providing the acutely needed added capacity, will accommodate the high parameter cell sorting
demands and allow for better detection and efficient sorting of rarer events. The sorter will be
permanently integrated in a Baker Class II Type A2 biosafety hood. This will provide state-of-the-art
cell sorter instrumentation with safe single cell sigh-content high-parameter cellular including human
cell sorting capabilities to meet the increasingly complex needs of our user base and advancing
research.
Terms: <Acute><Assay><Bioassay><Biologic Assays><Biologic Sciences><Biological Assay><Biological Sciences><Bioscience><Cell Body><Cell Isolation><Cell Segregation><Cell Separation><Cell Separation Technology><Cells><Collection><Color><Communities><Complex><Comprehensive Cancer Center><Core Facility><Detection><Education><Educational aspects><Electronics><End Point Assay><Endpoint Assays><Event><Flow Cytofluorometries><Flow Cytofluorometry><Flow Cytometry><Flow Microfluorimetry><Flow Microfluorometry><Hour><Human><Investigators><Laser Electromagnetic><Laser Radiation><Lasers><Life Sciences><Modern Man><Patients><Performance><Population><Process><Productivity><Research><Research Personnel><Research Specimen><Researchers><Schedule><Side><Sorting - Cell Movement><Specimen><Speed><Technology><Time><Translating><Universities><Wait Time><base><cell analyzer><cell sorting><cost effective><electronic device><flow cytophotometry><instrument><instrumentation><satisfaction><sorting>