FACS Facility
Deep scientific insights in ageing-related pathologies/diseases
Flow cytometry is a powerful technology that enables high throughput analysis of heterogeneous populations of cells at the single cell level, providing researchers with valuable information of cell function in health and disease.
The recently established FACS facility unit at CECAD offers the researches well-maintained “state-of-the-art” research instruments for flow cytometric analysis and high quality sorting of cells. The unit currently houses an LSRFortessa analyser, an INFLUX cell sorter and a SONY ID7000 analyser.
The LSRFortessa, equipped with 4 lasers (Violet, Blue, Yellow/Green and Red), facilitates the detection of up to 16 different fluorochromes and enables a wide range of flow cytometry applications including cell cycle analysis, cell death analysis, lipid content analysis, reactive oxygen species detection as well as more complex assays such as multi-parametric immunophenotyping in health and disease.
The INFLUX cell sorter configured with 5 laser sources and with many sorting options, is a flexible platform tailored to researcher’s application requirements.
Keeping up with recent technologic advances and the increasing needs of flow cytometry assays, CECAD has recently acquired a Sony ID7000™ Spectral Cell Analyzer. The new device, built on the latest technology of spectral unmixing that allows the discrimination of fluorochromes with similar emission peaks, will be integrated into CECAD’s Facility and is expected to provide researchers from CECAD and the Campus Cologne with unprecedent depth in multi-parametric analysis of cell function in health and disease.
Service
High quality sorting of desired cell types is provided as a full service by the facility after an initial consultation and protocol optimization (nozzle size, sample preparation, sorting layout).
Sorted cells of high purity constitute the starting material for many downstream applications such as functional assays, RNA-seq analysis, genomics, proteomics, and lipidomics. In collaboration with the Proteomic facility at CECAD, the Facility develops workflows to optimise proteome characterisation of rare cell populations.
For analytic instruments, the Facility services include training and assistance of new users, scientific advice and consultations during booking or during a pilot experiment for experimental setup and optimization, advice on flow cytometry techniques and sample preparation, software usage and post-acquisition data analysis.
Dr. Nikos Oikonomou
Technical Leader of the FACS Facility
Lab +49 221 478 84064
Telephone+49 221 478 89531
E-mailnoikonom[at]uni-koeln.de
CECAD Research Center
Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 26
50931 Köln
FACS Booking System
Reserve a time slot for an instrument. FACS introductory training is required.
For cell sorting requests and more information, please contact Dr. Nikos Oikonomou.