Finding the Best Flow Cytometry System for Your Needs

Flow cytometry is in its heyday. Long an indispensable tool in biomedical research, it is now also widely used in clinical diagnostics. Among these myriad applications are screening and validation in immuno-oncology drug development; monitoring multiple cell health parameters, including viability, apoptosis, and proliferation; detecting extracellular vesicles, including exosomes; and screening in synthetic biology research.

It is also being combined with next-generation sequencing, digital PCR, microscopy, and mass spectrometry to create truly enabling workflows that exponentially increase the potential insights that can be garnered from a single sample. Not surprisingly, according to MarketsandMarkets™, the global flow cytometry market is growing rapidly and is projected to reach $4.93 billion by 2021.

The global flow cytometry market is growing rapidly and is projected to reach $4.93 billion by 2021.

With so much at stake, and so many instrument and application nuances to consider, purchasing a flow cytometry system is no easy task, which is why Biocompare queried five flow cytometry experts for their insights into how to find the best system for your lab’s needs.

We spoke to Bob Balderas, vice president, biological sciences at BD; Nico Tuason, marketing manager at Bio-Rad; Archie Cullen, head of diagnostics and biosystems & regulated materials at MilliporeSigma; Dewitt Jones, product manager, flow cytometry instruments at Miltenyi Biotec; and Jolene A. Bradford, associate director, flow cytometry systems, Thermo Fisher Scientific. Their flow cytometry knowledge is vast, and their suggestions are essential reading material before your next purchase.

Evaluating your flow cytometry needs

“There are many things to consider when evaluating a flow cytometer for purchase,” Bradford points out. “Different systems have their own unique features and functions…and the evaluation process may be challenging.”

Considering this significant investment, it is definitely worth the effort to understand as much as possible in order to make the best decision for your lab.

“First, define if you want an analyzer, or if you need sorting capability. Then understand how you expect the instrument to be used—what applications, how many parameters will be needed—and think about what you might need in several years as your research grows. Critically review the specifications for instruments you want to consider,” Bradford suggests.

Jones suggests looking for the most application-versatile instrument you can find. “Customers often consider three or more instruments when making a decision on which equipment to acquire. The quality of the data that comes from the array of instruments on the market is quite comparable, making any of them a good fit.” He believes the variety of applications you will run or are considering running are very important considerations. “Just a few of the special applications that might be run, but that are critical for long-term purchase satisfaction, include: rare cell analysis, small particles/exosomes, data acquisition requiring 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, automated data acquisition, and fully automated on instrument sample staining.”

“Understand what unique benefits each system may have and the value it brings for your lab. Can the system be upgraded? Will you be using tubes and plates for acquisition? Look at plate samplers, and understand how the high-throughput system integrates with the instrument. Try out the software, how easy and intuitive is it to use for all levels from novice to expert? Understand the data-management system of the instrument, and if it is compatible with your internal systems,” Bradford explains.

According to Cullen, the first order of business should be determining what parameters are required to be measured. “Since intensity measurements from nonimaging flow cytometers do not provide as much information as images, what is the minimum number of colors that will be needed for a traditional flow cytometer? If functional assays using microscope images are required to answer the scientific question at hand, then an imaging flow cytometer with thousands of morphometric parameters, including intensity, should be considered.” In addition, Which laser options do you need to excite the fluorophores you intend to use? and Do you need to have autoloading?

Finding the flow cytometer that meets your needs

“Once the specifications are defined, a list of instruments that fit your needs can be identified,” Cullen adds.

Additional considerations start from the simple, including footprint size (and whether it will need to go into a biosafety hood) and ease of use, to the complex, like types and power of each laser as well as photomultiplier tube (PMT) performance.

Balderas says it is important to evaluate the expandability to more colors, connectivity of the instrument to high-throughput automation line, ability to standardize the instrument for day-to-day performance, and availability of reagents for each specificity needed for panel design.

Tuason also recommends deciding if you want an expandable high-parameter flow cytometer that can grow with a core lab’s needs and its users’ future research needs or a benchtop, purpose-focused cytometer that can be the lab workhorse in your own lab instead of a shared resource.

Biocompare’s Flow Cytometer Search Tool
Find, compare & review flow cytometers
from different suppliers Search

In addition to ease of use on a daily basis, Tuason says that “auto startup, automatic quality control, and scheduled shut down” are features that are useful in multi-user shared resource facility.

He adds that flexibility of sample input types is important. “Being able to accommodate both tubes and plates without extensive system hardware changes means that the system can grow and change with a user’s changing research needs.”

A few more things to consider

Features that prevent common problems before they happen are incredibly useful. Tuason suggests looking for a system that alerts the user if any filters have been removed or changed. He adds that a probe crash prevention feature that will prevent a crash before it occurs saves time in repairing damaged probes.

And don’t forget maintenance. Bradford recommends asking yourself, “How much time each day is needed for routine maintenance functions? What other maintenance will you be expected to perform?”

Systems that are easy to maintain will save a lot of headache. According to Tuason, look for features like “onboard fluids that can be connected directly in line with deionized water and waste systems to ensure the system is properly set up with fluids and to eliminate the hassle of replacing fluids and tanks, or that can be swapped in and out while the instrument is running, which prevents downtime.”

It goes without saying that price, speed of service, and price of service contracts are all important considerations, explains Balderas. Bradford concurs, adding that it is important to evaluate the service contract for cost and coverage, and determine whether there are there multi-year discounts available. She also recommends considering the other costs of ownership like sheath fluid, performance beads, and other consumables like chips or tubing.

Understanding training options and support programs offered by the vendor is also important, Bradford adds.

Finally, in your purchasing journey, be sure to consult good resources for additional information, including Biocompare’s product directory, the websites of instrument companies, trusted colleagues, or power users from a local flow cytometry shared resource facility.