University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI)
Archived News
December 2007
The UPCI Flow Cytometry Facility will observe the University of Pittsburgh's winter recess. The Facility will be closed December 24th and will reopen January 2nd. There will be no cell sorting or staff assisted appointments. Power users can arrange to use one of the User dedicated cytometers (Red or Green XLs) by contacting the staff before December 21st.
Look for new and exciting developments in 2008. The Facility will be expanding the availability (hours) of many services. We hope to expand on existing instrumentation and add a few developing technologies.
Happy Holidays
November 2007
Cassandra (Cassie) Singer, presently with Guava Technologies, (http://www.guavatechnologies.com) has placed the Guava EasyCyte benchtop flow cytometer in the UPCI Flow Facility. The EasyCyte is an easy-to-use flow cytometer that can sample from 96 well plates, as well as microcentrifuge tubes. Due to its unique capillary design, the EasyCyte is especially handy for assays involving very small sample volume. In addition, Guava supports applications with reagent kits and analytical software that make assays simple and affordable.
The EasyCyte is here on an extended loan in effort to explore the variety of uses that this technology offers. The facility is currently seeking groups that may be interested in developing assays that can be run on the EasyCyte. Please contact Michael Meyer (meyere@upmc.edu) or Cassie Singer (csinger@guavatechnologies.com) for additional information or an appointment to run the Guava EasyCyte.
October 2007
The UPCI Flow Cytometry Facility has been promoting the use of the Cyan multi-parameter flow cytometer for everyday use. With the Cyan, one can take advantage of up to three lasers (405nm, 488nm, and 635nm) for excitation and can detect up to nine colors at one time. The staff can assist with running experiments; in addition, users with flow experience can be trained to run the Cyan on their own.
Please contact the staff if you have questions or are interested in learning more about using the Cyan.
August 2007
As part of our ongoing mission to keep our facility on the cutting edge of emerging technologies, the Amnis Image Stream has been upgraded with the Extended Depth of Field Module. This will give us increased resolution of all cellular features simultaneously while providing the user powerful statistical data. In addition, the UPCI Flow Facility is proud to co-host the first Image Stream Interest Group meeting in Bethesda, MD this coming October. Here we hope to discuss new and exciting applications of the Image Stream with some of the best and brightest in the field of flow cytometry. See the facility staff for details.
We are in the final stages of preparation for the 19th Annual Clinical Cytometry Course. The speakers are ready and the agenda is set. Click here to view the Clinical Cytometry Course. The final sports are filling up; register today to ensure your spot!
July 2007
The UPCI Flow Cytometry Facility would like to welcome
Stop by the facility and say, "Hi."
January 2007
The Hillman Cancer Center will once again host the 19th Annual Clinical Cytometry Course. The Clinical Flow Cytometry Course is designed for individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, who have an interest in expanding their knowledge of flow cytometry and its applications. Attendees include attending physicians, residents, clinical fellows, research investigators, research fellows, graduate students, and individuals from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
The Symposium held on Sunday will include an initial introductory lecture on the basic principles of flow cytometry, followed by more detailed lectures on electronics, fluidics, fluorochromes and compensation. During the course additional lectures will be held on various applications of flow cytometry including flow-based assays of immune function, identification of hematologic malignancies, single platform cell enumeration and quantitative assays of fluorescence. Attendees will also participate in seven hands-on laboratory sessions with experts in the field, to gain personal experience with a variety of techniques including the DNA analysis, CD34 enumeration, analysis of immunodeficiency disorders, multiparameter analysis and sorting, data analysis and interpretation, cytokines and imaging flow cytometry.
The Course will be held from September 23-29th, 2007.
September 2006
This month, the city of Pittsburgh will be hosting the Great Lakes International Imaging and Flow Cytometry Association annual meeting. The conference will begin on Friday, September 29th, and end on Sunday, October 1st. The meeting will be held at the Marriott City Center, here in Pittsburgh.
For more information, see the GLIIFCA web site:
http://www.gliifca.org/
May 2006
Personnel
E. Michael Meyer, the new Flow Lab Supervisor, has arrived and the MoFlo is up and running. Please call for appointments to arrange a "pre-sort" meeting.
CyAn Upgrade
Our flagship analytical cytometer, the Dako CyAn, has been upgraded to the ADP-O2, model. The new CyAn features upgraded fluidics, greater red sensitivity, and a new XP computer running the latest version of Summit software. The new software supports automated color compensation. The new CyAn is available immediately to Power Users (some training will be required for the new software). Please schedule appointments with Michael Meyer for operator assisted analysis.
ImageStream100 Upgrade
The Amnis ImageStream100 imaging flow cytometer has been upgraded to the new Turbo model. Enhancements include two times higher throughput, a new camera with greater sensitivity, better automated focusing, and less time required to change samples. The ImageStream is now available to trained Power Users, or for operator assisted acquisition (call for an appointment).
User Operated Beckman-Coulter XL Cytometers
We expect to resume training new users by mid-June. We are currently in the process of evaluating our training procedure for Basic and Power users and will offer a refresher course on "Instrument Start-up and Shut-Down, Changing Fluids, PMT Settings and Automated Color Compensation".
March 2006
Personnel Changes at the UPCI Flow Facility
After almost 5 years of service as the Associate Director of the UPCI Flow Facility, Dr. Hongmei Shen has accepted the position of Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. She brought great expertise in high speed cell sorting to the UPCI and we are certain that she will build a facility of the highest order at the Starzl. Dr. Shen will commence in her new role as of April 2006.
We are pleased to announce the return of E. Michael Meyer to the Facility, where he will serve as Laboratory Manager. Long-time UPCI users will recall that Mike worked as a Specialist in the Donnenberg research lab from 1994 until 2001, at which time he left to accept a position as a Field Service Engineer with Dako-Cytomation (the manufacturer of our MoFlo and CyAn cytometers). Toward the end of his tenure at Pitt he helped out considerably in the Flow Facility User Lab and expressed the ambition to someday return as Lab Manager. After installing and servicing flow cytometers for almost 5 years, Mike comes back to the job with skills that will greatly benefit the Facility. Look for him the second week of May, 2006.
We are also pleased to Welcome Anita Karra, Cytometrist 1, who is being groomed to look after the user laboratory. Anita comes to us fresh from her University studies and is undergoing "total immersion training in flow cytometry."
As a result of these personnel changes, we regret that operator-assisted services (Sorting, Imaging Cytometry) will be temporarily suspended until May 15. The User Lab (the XL cytometers) will remain in service, and Power Users will still have access to the CyAn.
February 2006
Amnis ImageStream Up and Running - SIG Grant Received
The Facility is pleased to announce that the Amnis ImageStream imaging cytometer, which we have been leasing since March 2005, is ours to keep. Facility Director Albert Donnenberg and co-investigator Michael Lotze were successful in their bid for an NIH Shared Instrumentation Award to purchase the ImageStream. The award will also underwrite an upgrade to our data storage capacity.
Amnis Training In March, 2006
On March 2 at 12:30 the UPCI Flow Facility will host a special seminar at the HCC (Cooper D) entitled "Principles and applications of imaging flow cytometry: Who needs 100,000 images?" Featured speakers include: Dr. Thaddeus George, of Amnis Corporation, and UPCI's Dr. Albert Donnenberg and Dr. Preet Chaudhary. We wish to thank Jeff Hudson at Amnis for sponsoring this event.
On March 3, 2006, Dr. Thaddeus George from Amnis will provide an operational training for the ImageStream. Space is limited but we have 2 slots available for users who plan to use the ImageStream extensively in the near future. PIs are encouraged to contact Dr. Hongmei Shen (412-623 3264 or shenh@upmc.edu) for the training registration.
Imaging and Flow Cytometry Meetings—Sept. 29th – Oct. 1, 2006
GLIIIFCA (the Great Lakes International Imaging and Flow Cytometry Association) will be holding its 15th Annual meeting in Pittsburgh at the Marriott City Center (Sept 29th - Oct 1, 2006). Check out their website at http://www.gliifca.org/. This is a great local meeting with a very modest registration fee ($80). We are certain that the UPCI and Pitt Flow Communities will make a strong showing.
January 2006
Goodbye to Erin: We are sorry to say goodbye to Erin McClelland, who has been a mainstay of the Facility for the past 5 years. In her new capacity Erin will be our Beckman-Coulter reagent sales representative, so she will still be by to visit. We are in the process of making two new hires and hope to be back up to speed soon.
July 2005
As of July 1, 2005, we will be charging for operator-assisted service on the Amnis Imagestream. Fees will be the same as for other machines; please see the Fee Structure page for details.
March 2005
Amnis ImageStream© 100 now in service. In March 2005 we acquired the first commercial imaging flow cytometer for the UPCI Flow Cytometry Facility. The ImageStream is now available for your research projects at the same rates as cell sorting performed by the facility operator. A description of the ImageStream’s capabilities is now available on both our website and the Amnis site.
March 2005
A third Beckman-Coulter EPICS XL is coming to the UserLab. A user survey, conducted in March 2004, highlighted difficulty scheduling the two user-operated XL cytometers. We are happy to report that we have concluded negotiations to acquire a third 4-color XL. The instrument has all of the capabilities of the existing "red" and "green" machines, plus a multi-sample carousel loader. We expect that the new "yellow" machine will be in service by late May.
February 2005
The Facility is raising its fees as of January 1, 2005. Rates (except those for the User Workstations) are increasing $10; please see the Fee Structure page for complete information about our current rates.
The Cell Sorting Laboratory Facility is now certified as a BSL2+, which means that the Flow Cytometry Facility is now able to sort unfixed human and primate samples without prior knowledge of disease status. As a requirement for this certification, all individuals sorting unfixed human or primate samples must download, read and sign the BSL2+ Safety Manual (PDF format) prior to bringing samples for sorting.
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