Flow Cytometry Facility

The selection and purification of molecules, cells, tissues, and organisms of interest are critical yet often time-consuming aspects of biomedical research. Flow cytometers have revolutionized the sorting and analysis of large numbers of individual cells, microorganisms, and other particles at high speed. The fluidics subsystem of a flow cytometer brings particles in suspension into the flow cell where they are excited by light sources of different wavelengths. With the use of multiple mirrors, band pass, and long pass filters, the emitted light is routed to the appropriate photomultipliers, where the incoming photons are converted into electrons and visualized for further analysis. Applications range from simple cellular readouts to complex phenotyping and high-throughput screening.

Facility equipment

The Faculty of Science Flow Cytometry Facility houses three different machines that support a broad range of applications:
 

  1. BD FACSymphony A1: equipped with a small particle detector for measuring particles as small as 90nm, and can be used for multiple-parameter analysis
     

  2. BD FACSAria Fusion: used for analysis and to rapidly sort and collect the particles of interest
     

  3. Union Biometrica Biosorter: to process larger particles such as plant seeds or mammalian organoids, as well as whole organisms such as zebrafish embryos and C. elegans larvae

Visit the subsections for more detailed information on our equipment, services, analysis software and charges.

For more information or to make use of one of the machines, please contact Toni van Capel (t.m.m.vancapel@uu.nl).