Re: HOW viable after high-speed sorting?

From: Cliff McArthur (cytocliff@netscape.net)
Date: Wed Mar 08 2000 - 13:54:50 EST


Hello again, to Joe, Jim and others,

Jim and Joe - I think it goes without saying that you both make great and very
appropriate points with regards to "high speed" sorting and, frankly, I thank
you very much for posting these comments to the List.  Right off the bat, I
agree heartily that we ought refer to "high-pressure" sorting rather than
"high speed," as we know that many people, when applying the later term, are
thinking of little more than "events per second."  There are far too many
variables, from differing pressures, drive frequencies and stream velocities
to inherent cell (or other particle) "fragilities" and media used, that
perhaps even more specifics should be supplied when one wishes to talk of
"faster" versus "slower."

I was deliberately general in terms when posting my question, as I was looking
for any reference(s)/data that may have even just addressed the question,
whether at 25kHz, 66kHz, 100kHz or other, 10psi, 60psi, or more, immediately
post-sort, one or four days later, etc.  Because I suspect (and I've not been
able to find much of anything) that there is little published data on this
topic, I thought I'd cast a rod.  It seems a wide open enough area (and one
we'll likely never narrow too much), that perhaps I should be more specific:

I would like to take an experimental look at this myself as it seems to me it
may be useful (at least it will for our purposes here).  I am thinking of
comparing, roughly, the following conditions:

5-15 psi / 10-25ish kHz  versus 50-60psi / 90-110kHz using primary human
and/or murine immune system cells (probably just DCs and T and B cells for
now), things such as media, culture, and perhaps any stimulation conditions
being equal;  looking at various indicators of life like proliferation and
cytokine production;  hours after sorting, a day or two later, then days
later.

In my little world this is all I'd like to look at for now.  I am glad,
however, that I posed my original question as I did, as I am pleased to see
the type of discussion on the List as we have.  There are innumerable
different pre-, sorting, and post-sort conditions that can affect viability
(another can of worms), and moving to talk of "high-pressure" versus "high
speed" is at least a start.

Cliff McArthur
University of California at San Francisco
Departments of Medicine and Immunology/Microbiology
415-502-6860

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