Stellenbosch University was awarded a NRF National Equipment Programme Grant to purchase a new imaging flow cytometer which would be housed at Tygerberg Medical Campus. The instrument arrived in June 2019 and CAF staff, along with the key applicants, prof Samantha Sampson and prof Carine Smith, along with their research group members received intensive training for three days at the beginning of July. Soon after, the research samples were run on the equipment and some great results have already been acquired.
The ImageStream®X MKII 7 is fitted with 7 lasers and 12 imaging channels. It delivers multiple images of every cell in flow, including brightfield, darkfield (SSC) and up to 10 fluorescent markers at high speed. The camera operates with a pixel size of 0.1/0.25/1 μm2 with 60X/40X/20X magnification respectively, allowing visualization of fluorescence location from the membrane, cytoplasm, subcellular organelles or nucleus at high resolution.
The innovative design of Amnis® cytometers increases signal and minimizes noise to provide exceptional photonic sensitivity. Design details like a dedicated side scatter laser, adjustable laser intensities, and brightfield imagery for the direct measurement of cell size allow the systems to resolve cell populations more effectively than far more expensive cytometers. The ease of use, outstanding performance, and imagery of each cell meet the needs of flow cytometry novices and experts alike.
We believe that this new addition will take research in the medical field at Tygerberg to the next level.
Assistance is available and if you need more information on the equipment, please have a look at the instrument specifications here: AMNIS ImageStream®X MKII 7
