The Flow Cytometry Facility provides a state of the art flow cytometry service to iMM researchers as well as external groups from other research institutes.
We aim at training researchers in the adequate use of the instruments and also on flow cytometry principles, experiment planning, as well as data analysis and interpretation.
The Flow Cytometry Facility also provides a cell sorting service using three High Speed Cell Sorters BD FACSAria III, BD FACSAria Fusion and BD FACSymphony S6 SE, operated by dedicated staff.
More Information:
Flow Cytometry WikiInstruments and Services
Our flow cytometers are grouped into two categories: analyzers and cell sorters. Analyzers are instruments for acquisition only, cells cannot be recovered once they are analyzed in the instrument. Cell sorters are capable of physically “sorting” out a population(s) of interest.
The choice of the proper equipment should depend on the aims/applications of your project and the combination of fluorochromes in your samples.
The following table summarizes the excitation optics of all our flow cytometers. To find out more about each instrument's optical configuration, see the individual descriptions bellow.
Cell Sorters
Available for booking from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Friday.
The cell purification service is provided by a dedicated technician upon reservation on the online booking system.
- BD FACSAria III
- BD FACSAria Fusion (housed in a Baker BioProtect-IV bio-safety cabinet)
- BD FACSymphony S6 SE (housed in a Baker BioProtect-IV bio-safety cabinet)
Cell Analyzers
Available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for use by trained researchers upon reservation on the online booking system.
- BD LSRFortessa 2 equipped with a High Throughput Sampler (HTS) which allows the automated acquisition of samples from 96 and 384 well plates.
- BD LSRFortessa X-20
- BD FACSymphony A5 SE
- Cytek Aurora
- BD Accuri C6 Plus
Imaging Flow Cytometer
- Amnis ImageStreamX - benchtop multispectral imaging flow cytometerequipped with two CCD cameras that can acquire up to 12 images simultaneously of each cell or object in brightfield, scatter and multiple fluorescent channels.
Data Analysis
For flow cytometry data analysis we suggest FlowJo software.
We have a workstation (Mac) with FlowJo and FCSExpress. No training is required to use the workstation.
It is available a Data Analysis Service to help with analysis as well as training in Data Analysis.
To use it on your own lab computer, the iMM has acquired a site license for FlowJo. For more information get in contact with us.
These services are free of charge, however pre-reservation is required on the online booking system.
Training and Support
To have access to our equipment, follow the instructions in our Wiki page.
How to use the Service
To have access to our equipment, follow the instructions in our WIKI page.
Acknowledgements
If you used our services and equipment, please acknowledge us on your publications or any other formal presentations. This is one of our key performance indicators and very important for future funding.
You are welcome to use the following examples for reference:
In Materials and Methods: “All experiments were performed at the Flow Cytometry Facility of Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes.”
In Acknowledgements: “We would like to thank the Flow Cytometry Facility of Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes for their technical support.”
Thank you!