Technical Note: Reducing Clogging and Carryover on the iQue^® HTS Platform when using Challenging Samples

Overview

Flow cytometers are designed to interrogate single cell features, through the precise presentation of single cells, in a fluid suspension passing through a flow cell. Due to this innate configuration of cytometers, the technology is particularly susceptible to cellular and particulate aggregation, which can cause clogging of the flow cell, and lead to catastrophic effects on accurate data capture. 

Consequently, clogging and carryover are common issues in cytometry. Some cellular situations are prone to aggregation, such as dissociated cells, high concentrations of cells or beads. 

Unlike other cytometers the iQue^® High-Throughput Screening (HTS) by Cytometry Platform uses an innovative sampling method to achieve its rapid sample acquisition. Occasionally, in the presence of ‘sticky cells’, there is an increase in carryover between wells. 

This document provides practical tips on some aspects of good instrument operation, assay design and sample preparation, to help reduce potential clogging and carryover issues, and associated loss of data, when analyzing samples on the iQue^® HTS Platform.

   
Page count: 7
Read time: 8 Minutes