3-Laser Cell Sorter

• Subject Area: Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 548361374

Flow cytometry has become a standard technology for sorting and characterizing heterogeneous mixtures of biological cells. Within this application, a tabletop flow cytometer is requested for the analysis and sorting of various biological cells. The flow cytometer will be used for (i) the separation of pluripotent induced and adult stem cell populations, (ii) cell types resulting during stem cell differentiation into cell types such as endothelial cells, pancreatic exocrine cells, or muscle cells, (iii) sorting primary human patient material for single cell omics analysis, and (iv) sorting hydrogel or double emulsions droplets generated with microsystem technology platforms but is not limited to the given examples. Flow cytometry instrumentation is already available through the Flow Cytometry Core Facility at Leipzig University. However, the existing instrumentation has been purchased with a focus on multiparameter sorting capabilities, to resolve very heterogeneous cell populations, and to find cell types within mixtures of closely related cells. For new emerging research fields and the establishment of standard operational procedures for cell culture technologies, several key parameters are not met or are outdated with the existing instrumentation. For the establishment of in vitro disease models from either stem cells or primary tissue, a new generation of flow cytometry instruments makes it possible to sort fragile cell types with far higher vitality thanks to gentle cell sorting procedures under very low pressure without using electrical charge. In consequence, fewer cell stress responses are induced during the sorting process, thus increasing the accuracy of multi-omics downstream analysis. For cell cultures kept under antibiotics-free conditions, a sterile sorting process is pivotal. Here, closed systems can provide a solution since cross-contaminations are avoided. Further, low cell dilution factors within the sorting process make the subsequential sorting method possible with low sample loss factors. This enables research with valuable patient or rare stem cell samples. Furthermore, unnecessary liquid waste is minimized, which must be handled concerning GMO and disease infection regulations. Upon integration of the requested flow cytometry machine into the flow cytometry Core Facility at Leipzig University, the existing cell sorting services will be complemented and brought up to date. The newer flow cytometry machine we plan to purchase is simplified in its handling can be easily integrated into standard operations, offers reduced personal operational time, and shortens training hours for a vast variety of users with different research applications and backgrounds. In sum, it is expected that the acquisition of the requested flow cytometry unit will sustainably strengthen the research possibilities of a large user group at Leipzig University.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: 3-Laser Zellsortiergerät
• Instrumentation Group: 3500 Zellzähl- und Klassiergeräte (außer Blutanalyse), Koloniezähler
• Applicant Institution: Universität Leipzig
• Leader: Professor Dr. Matthias Meier