5-laser spectral analyzer

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology
• Term: Funded in 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 424726600

Within the scope of the present application for large devices an innovative analyzer for the Core Facility Flow Cytometry (FCF) of the Medical Faculty Tübingen will be procured, which will be able to measure the largest possible number of cell parameters with current, but above all future, increasingly complex questions in biomedical research. A "Spectral Analyzer" with five lasers is applied, which can currently detect more than 25 different fluorochromes in parallel. In contrast to conventional flow cytometers, "Spectral Analyzers" can detect the entire emission spectrum of fluorochromes and to separate them using algorithms. With this technique, fluorochromes with very similar emission spectra can be used simultaneously, which is not possible with conventional flow cytometers. The requested device is designed for the detection of 48 fluorochromes. Fluorochromes developed in the future, in contrast to conventional flow cytometers, can be used flexibly for the analysis of markers without the purchase of additional components. Furthermore, the proposed device allows the combination of various fluorescent proteins, as well as the sensitive analysis of highly autofluorescent cells from the liver, lung, intestine or brain. Regardless of the great possibilities, the operation of the "Spectral Analyzer" is comparable to conventional flow cytometers. As described in the supplements on research, this technique is of interest for many research projects at the University Hospital Tübingen, as questions already arise from current research projects that cannot be answered by the existing flow cytometers. Besides, this instrument could open up new perspectives of biomedical research in Tübingen.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: 5-Laser spektrales-analytisches Durchflusszytometer
• Instrumentation Group: 3500 Zellzähl- und Klassiergeräte (außer Blutanalyse), Koloniezähler
• Applicant Institution: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
• Leaders: Privatdozentin Stella E. Autenrieth, Ph.D., until 5/2023; Dr. Anna Stanger, since 5/2023