The FACS Core

What is the Fluorescent-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) Core?

The Fluorescent-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) Core at MMRI uses advanced flow cytometry technology to leverage fluorescent labels that sort and analyze cells, enabling researchers to isolate distinct populations with precision.

Services Provided

The FACS core provides services, including machine set-up, sample running, data analysis and training.

Core Members

Dr. Samantha Le Sommer, FACS Core Manager

Contact

For questions and request of service inquiries, please contact Samantha Le Sommer, Ph.D., at slesommer@mmri.edu.

Fees and Scheduling

The FACS core owns and maintains a license to the powerful analysis software, FlowJo. which is installed on the core PC and is available for use via the institute’s internal calendar. FlowJo is capable of basic and advanced analysis of cell populations of interest, as well as identification and expression of markers, cell cycle analysis, proliferation and apoptosis.

Training for internal use will depend on the user’s needs. For outside requests, contact Dr. Samantha Le Sommer: slesommer@mmri.edu.

The MMRI guide to flow cytometry is linked here and it provides background information on how flow cytometry works, what controls are needed and how to begin your experiments.

FACS Core Equipment

The FACS core consists of two machines, one each for cell analysis and cell sorting. The BD FACS Symphony A3 is a four-laser, 16-channel flow cytometer with four laser lines 405nm, 488nm, 651nm and 637nm, and is used to identify and analyze rare cell types and events, averaging around a million analyzed cells every 30 seconds. It includes software for the analysis, proliferation and apoptosis of cells. The BD FACSAria Fusion is a four-laser, 15-channel cell sorter with 405nm, 488nm, 561nm and 640nm laser lines, and uses UV, Violet, Blue, Yellow/Green and Red lasers to detect up to 18 colors in a sample. This instrument can simultaneously sort four different populations into 1.5, 5 or 15 mL tubes or 96-well plates. BD FACSAria Fusion has precisely integrated fluidic and optical systems to maximize signal detection. This machine averages a million sorted cells every 30 seconds.

Chase Kessinger, Ph.D.