Flow Cytometry Core Facility resource description

The Flow Cytometry Core Facility provides all investigators at the University of Virginia access to high quality, cost effective flow cytometry services. In addition to providing access to a variety of instrumentation, the FCCF also provides scientific expertise necessary to effectively use this technology to enhance the scope and quality of scientific research performed at the University.

The state of the art facility occupies approximately 1800 sq. ft. and houses a variety from basic to high end flow cytometry instrumentation, such as, a CyTOF 2 mass cytometer Helios upgrade and the 5 laser 15 color BD Influx Cell Sorter in a Class II BSC, the facility offers up to 6-way high-speed cell sorting up to BSL2+ and complex analytical services. The facility has two additional cell sorters; a 5 laser 15 color FACSAria Fusion (also in a customized Class II BSC), and a FACSVantage SE TurboSort DIVA equipped with four lasers: 488nm, 405nm, 642nm and 592nm (642nm and 592nm collinear), both capable of 4-way high-speed cell sorting.

The facility also has a variety of bench top analytical instruments which include:  2 Cytek Aurora Spectral Cytometers, a BD LSRFortessa with 17 fluorescent detectors, a 4 laser 14 color Attune NxT with 96 well autosampler, a 3 laser 5-color and 2 laser 4-color FACSCalibur bench top analyzers; a Cytek upgraded 4-laser 10-color FACSCalibur with 96 well autosampler; a 9-color CyAn ADP LX benchtop cytometer.

Additional capabilities include an ImageStreamX Mark II imaging flow cytometer, an AutoMACs Pro magnetic bead isolation cell separator and two Luminex MAGPIX bead-based multiplex analyzers, with complete multiplex assay services for a variety of human and mouse cytokine/chemokine and signaling panels. A multi-terabyte server is available for data storage as well as site licenses for data analysis software.

Researchers have the option, once trained, of performing their own analysis or utilizing the expertise of the facility’s staff to run their samples for them. Specialized training classes are offered for those researchers who wish to better understand the principles and techniques employed in this technology and prefer to directly acquire and/or analyze their own samples.