CSCI ImageStream S10 Award

Columbia Stem Cell Initiative is pleased to announce that we have been awarded funds through the NIH S10 Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants program for the ImageStreamX Mk II imaging flow cytometer. The ImageStream technology is unique and unparalleled in the field, and combines speed, sensitivity, and multicolor phenotyping capabilities of flow cytometry with the detailed imagery and functional insights of microscopy.

The ImageStreamX Mk II is a benchtop-format, multi-laser, 12-channel flow cytometer that measures light scatter and fluorescence measurements using high-resolution cameras instead of traditional PMT detectors, facilitating location and quantitation of the distribution of signals in or between cells.

The NIH has provided us funds for the top-of-the-line model, which includes the following features:

·         Four high-powered excitation lasers – 488 nm, 642 nm, 405 nm, and 561 nm lines

·         12-imaging channels – maximum configuration

·         60X/40X/20X magnification

·         96-well plate autosampler

·         Extended depth of field module – keeps the depth of the cell in focus without loss of fluorescence sensitivity

The ImageStreamx Mk II will be located in and maintained by the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative Flow Cytometry core facility and will be the sixth flow cytometer in our cutting-edge facility. CSCI Flow Cytometry currently maintains two 5-laser, 20-parameter Becton Dickinson FACSAria cell sorters, a Bio-Rad S3e 2-laser, 4-color benchtop cell sorter, a Bio-Rad ZE5 5-laser, 30-paramater high-speed analyzer, and a Becton Dickinson 3-laser, 14-parameter FACSCelesta analyzer.

We are very excited to be able to bring cutting edge ImageStream technology to Columbia University. CSCI Flow Cytometry is a campus-wide resource, accessible to labs both within and outside of the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, so any Columbia University lab will be able to take advantage of this technology.

We expect to receive the ImageStream within the next few months and will notify the community when it is ready for use.