Multi-Application Cell Sorter

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology
• Term: Funded in 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 450392965

In order to expand and improve the fluorescence and sorting options in the Lighthouse Core Facility, a joint resource laboratory at the Center for Translational Cell Research (ZTZ) at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, a new cell sorter is to be purchased.With the Lighthouse Core Facility, Freiburg has a leading core facility for flow cytometry and cell sorting in Germany, in which projects from all areas of the Faculty of Medicine are accompanied by highly specialized, experienced personnel. Due to the increasing demand for cell sorting, there is currently an increasing bottleneck in access to this important technology. In particular, there is no possibility of short-term sorting and sorting outside normal working hours.Several research projects at the Medical Center are examining samples from patients in acute situations (for example, heart attack or stroke), where it is not possible to plan for a sort appointment in advance. Other projects at the Medical Center involve the use of animal models which require the short-term harvesting of cells or tissues due to disease progression and animal welfare regulations. Having a more user-friendly cell sorter available to researchers on short notice and during off hours would make it possible to carry out these research projects much more efficiently. The main purpose of the cell sorter would be, on the one hand, to increase the sorting capacity of the core facility and, on the other hand, to enable cell sorting for specially instructed users outside the core working hours of the core facility staff. When not being used by researchers for their own sorting purposes, the cell sorter would be available for Lighthouse staff, allowing them to increase their flexibility with regard to sorting appointments and to use it for specific applications, for example, plate sorts into 96- and 384-well plates, sorting of recombinant cells or cell lines containing fluorescent proteins, or as an additional sorter in the case of mechanical or other issues on one of our other machines.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Zellsortiersystem
• Instrumentation Group: 3500 Zellzähl- und Klassiergeräte (außer Blutanalyse), Koloniezähler
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Leader: Professor Dr. Stephan Ehl