The facility is located at the eastern end of the sixth floor of the research wing (E building) just off the E building elevators in room E6014.

As a centralized resource, the flow cytometry facility provides researchers and clinical investigators at UConn Health and surrounding institutions with the ability to perform both multi-parameter analysis and sorting of cell populations into phenotypic, biochemical, and molecular subsets, based on a variety of characteristics including size and shape and fluorescence derived from antibody-tagging or expression of fluorescent molecules.

Computer workstations are available for data analysis. Instrument computers can also be used for data analysis, but data acquisition takes precedence over data analysis.

A centralized flow cytometry server is available for downloading data off of the instruments. The server link is available on the desktop of each computer. Data should be transferred to this location or to the user's own portable drive after completion of an experiment.

We house three BD LSR II instruments, a Bio-Rad ZE5, an Accuri C6, AN Amnis ImageStream Mark II, and two BD FACS ARIA II high speed cell sorters. Two of our LSR II instruments are equipped with five lasers and are capable of 15 or 18 parameter analysis. One of our LSR II instruments is equipped with four lasers and is capable of 13 parameter analysis. The Bio-Rad ZE5 can detect up to 27 fluorescence parameters and can collect samples from tubes, 96-well, and 384 well plates. The Amnis ImageStream Mark II imaging flow cytometer has 4 excitation lasers, 12 imaging channels and 3 objective lenses. It combines the speed, sensitivity, and phenotyping abilities of flow cytometry with the detailed imagery and functional insights of microscopy.

Our FACS ARIA II cell sorters are both equipped with five lasers; one can analyze 15 parameters, and the other is capable of 18 parameter analysis. Additionally, the 15 parameter FACS ARIA II is installed in a Baker Bioprotect III safety cabinet, which facilitates analysis and sorting of potentially biohazardous samples.

We also provide several computer workstations with flow cytometry and cytometric bead array analysis software. These include: FlowJo (Treestar Inc.), BD FACS DIVA (BD Bioscience), ModFit LT (Verity), and FCAP Array (BD Bioscience).

The facility is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. After hours or weekend access is permitted for trained UConn Health employees. Please contact us with any questions regarding the facility, flow cytometry, or the development of new applications.