? FLOW CYTOMETRY SHARED RESOURCE The Flow Cytometry Shared Resource of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC) was established in 1980 to provide investigators with convenient and affordable access to a broad spectrum of required analytical and preparative flow cytometry technologies. Over the subsequent nearly 40 years, the facility has expanded its dedicated laboratory space and staff, and added multiple new instruments and equipment upgrades. This growth has been enabled by continuous support from Cancer Center Support Grant, and generous input of funds and the College of Medicine. This facility furnishes AECC investigators with the majority of their on-site access to high speed fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and advanced multiparameter flow cytometric analysis. The technologies provided are essential to the research of many AECC members, and cannot be outsourced or obtained at other sites in any practical or cost effective way. At present, the facility supports four high speed cell sorters, including two FACSAria sorters, and Beckman Coulter MoFlo XDP and Astrios EQ sorters. These three sorting platforms provide a high level of versatility, allowing optimization of protocols for isolation of rare and delicate cell types. The facility also provides access to a variety of analytical cytometers, which range from relatively simple and user friendly to advance analyzers such as the Becton-Dickinson LSR II with 14 color capability. Efforts are underway to add a new Cytek Aurora analyzer to the facility, which would further expand analytical capability to greater than 20 fluorescent parameters per cell. An iCys laser scanning cytometer is also housed and operated in the facility, providing a platform for coupled cytometric and image data collection on individual cells in a high throughput manner. The facility also provides biosafety containment for sorting cells from fresh human tissues. In addition to supporting an extensive range of advanced analytical and preparative flow cytometry equipment, the facility provides technical expertise and training to guide AECC investigators and their staff in the application of basic and advanced flow cytometry techniques. The facility also organizes and supports seminars and demonstrations of new technologies to assure that AECC investigators are well informed about newly emerging applications of FACS that can enhance their research. The overall goal of the facility is to provide the most up to date cell sorting and analytical resources for a wide range of cancer-relevant studies, and to deliver these in the most convenient and cost effective manner possible.
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