Guava EasyCyte Mini From Guava Technologies

Guava EasyCyte Mini is a microsyringe-based flow cytometer equipped with a 488 nm blue laser, forward scatter detection and three channels for fluorescence detection. Side scatter detection is offered as an option. Guava EasyCyte Mini is controlled by a PC-based computer, which is integrated into the main block of the instrument and supplemented with a flat-panel monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse. The computer is preloaded with Windows® operating system and Guava CytoSoft version 4.1 modular software. The software has standard modules required for maintenance and basic operation and optional modules for specific assays, such as cell cycle analyses, cell tracking, mitochondrial potential and caspase activity measurements, TUNEL and annexin V staining.

Guava EasyCyte Mini is a second generation instrument from Guava Technologies, which followed their first product, Guava PCA. The switch from the 532 nm laser used in Guava PCA to the 488 nm laser in EasyCyte Mini is an advantage since it allows utilizing the most widely available fluorescent reagents and adapting assays developed for other cytometers. Moreover, hardware compensation for all three fluorescence channels facilitates reliable data acquisition and analysis. Adding the side scatter option makes Guava EasyCyte Mini functionally similar to the well-known FACScan from BD Biosciences. Yet, Guava EasyCyte Mini requires less bench space, is easier to maintain and priced less that a refurbished FACScan. All Guava instruments use microsyringe-based fluidics, which eliminates the need for sheath fluid and enables the user to obtain accurate cell counts in the samples. All these features make Guava EasyCyte Mini a fully functional and very attractive flow cytometer for a small lab or for field applications.

I have been using Guava EasyCyte Mini for almost two years for a variety of applications on mouse and human cell lines and primary cells. Most frequently, the instrument has been used to measure cell viability and count the cells. In addition, I have frequently used it for routine two-color fluorescent staining with FITC- or Alexa Fluor® 488 vs. phycoerythrin-labeled reagents, often supplemented by propidium iodide or 7-aminoactinomycin D staining to exclude cells with the compromised plasma membrane. In addition, I analyzed mitochondrial potential with JC-1 stain and caspase-3 activity in apoptotic cells. I found the instrument very easy to use and of sufficient performance, although it seems somewhat slower than a FACScan. However, there are several issues that potential buyers or users should be aware of. First of all, the fact that the computer is built into the main block and preloaded with the drivers and software may generate problems with the IT professionals on site, as it was in my case. However, engineers and support personnel at Guava Technologies helped me to resolve all issues. Second, Guava software has a very poor quality output and inflexible ways of measuring fluorescence intensity. Therefore, I resorted to exporting data as FCS files to produce publication-quality data images in FlowJo software.