The Health Science Center/San Antonio Cancer Institute Flow Cytometry Core Facility recently added a new cell sorter to its existing cell sorter and cell analyzer. The new cell sorter (FACSAria) is a state-of-the-art flow cytometer equipped with three advanced LASERs utilizing fiber-optic technology for light transmittance and advanced analysis and sorting capabilities.
The advanced capabilities include automated, high-speed cell sorting (30,000 cells/second) of up to four different types of cells. The instrument also enables analysis and sorting by multiple parameters (up to 16 different parameters).
Currently, 40 scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) use the core facility. The FACSAria is cost-effective and quick to learn and use, making it an instrument of choice for these and many other potential users. “This is the only flow cytometer of its kind in the San Antonio area and one of four such instruments in the state of Texas,” said Yair Gazitt, Ph.D., professor of medicine and director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility.
The FACSAria was purchased through a $480,000 NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant, and the maintenance contract for it was purchased with the help of funds from the Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI).The maintenance and operation cost of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility are covered largely through funds from the San Antonio Cancer Institute and partly by funds from the Health Science Center and the CCRI.
The core facility, which is in Room 5.044V of the School of Medicine building, offers services to scientists participating in basic and clinical cancer research, basic and clinical immunology, and cell biology. For more information, visit
or call Dr. Gazitt at (210) 567-3663.
