Summary of 96-well plate autosampler responses

Hi,
Below is a summary of the responses I received from my query about 96-well 
plate autosamplers for a FACScan or FACSCalibur.

Thank you to all who responded.  Everyone responding had a sampler either 
from Cytek or BD, and about equal numbers were positive about both 
systems.  If money is no object, plate sampling can also be done on the 
Guava PCA-96 or the BD FACSArray.  The Cytek AMS is compatible with both 
FACScan and FACSCalibur, and the newer soon-to-be-out HTS from BD is only 
FACSCalibur-compatible.

(I have no ties to any of these companies, and we have not yet purchased a 
sampler...)

  From talking to both Cytek and BD, it seems that both are making an 
effort to improve on their earlier generations, especially software!

Bart


Summaries:

*Bart, I have been using both extensively. Buy the BD HTS sampler.
Best, Akos


*I have used an early version of the Cytek 96-well plate autosampler and had
good success with it. Their support and service was good. I however have not
used their latest version so my experience may be dated.
I have not used the BD one either.
Thomas M. McHugh


*We do have both and now we actually have three of the Cyteks, so I guess
that tells you which one I prefer. We don't even use the B-D one anymore,
but have run up to two thousand samples in one day on the combined Cyteks.
Haven't heard about anything for the CyAn yet.
Gary Elliott


*We have the Cytek AMS running on a FACScan, however, it is not using a
standard configuration. We have been working with a company called Applied
Cytometry Systems (ACS) to help them develop a 'Windows-based' software
called 'Flow-LINK' which can run both the FACScan & the Cytek AMS. This has
proved to be very successful because this software is similar to the
'Windows-based' software called EXPO32 or RXP (both written by ACS) that we
use to run our Beckman Coulter XL & FC500 flow cytometers.
Our installation & service for both the FACScan & the Cytek are provided by
ACS. The system is now being used by a number of different users and is
proving to be robust and easy to use (famous last words!). We did have a few
teething problems with the AMS, but ACS were able to resolve these or got a
very rapid response from Cytek.
I certainly think you would benefit from talking to ACS (have included
details below). The people to ask to speak to are Peter Nobes or Terry
Godley. However, I think they also have a US office that operates from the
west coast. I know that the system was demo'ed at the last ISAC meeting.


*We have the Multiwell Autosampler that I think has been
replaced by the High throughput Sampler. Anyway, we have been
mostly pleased with the MAS. It is a little slower than we
expected, but it is fairly reliable (this said, we had 3 bent
probes at the beginning and some trouble with the FACSFlow
supply system). Upgrading the Mac to OS 10 would probably
increase the speed; however we have the G3 mac so this is not
practical at this time.
Let me know if you need more specs on the MAS, although I
don't know if they even sell it anymore....


*I had a Cytek AMS attached to a FACSCalibur for about 2 years at a
previous job. Initially, I was very pleased with it. It could handle a
96-well plate in about 45 minutes and performed reasonably reliably.
Operation was a bit cumbersome because there was very little
communication between the AMS and CellQuest (although I understand this
has been improved recently), but this didn't present too big a problem
for fairly simple applications. Unfortunately, after we'd had the AMS
about a year (using it 6-8 hours a week at most), it started to show
well-to-well inconsistencies, apparently due to sporadic variations in
sample pressure. Cytek worked extensively with us to fix the problem
and was very helpful, but we were never able to eliminate the problem
completely. I'd be interested to hear people's comments on the
reliability of the BD autosampler--the relatively new unit here has had
some problems too.
Laird Bloom


*We have been using the 96 well plate AMS from Cytek for about 8 months
now and we are very happy with it. Of course I must tell you that my
husband is an employee of Cytek but this in no way has influenced my
judgment. He can tell you I am probably one of his toughest customers.
We are a multiuser core facility and it has held up just fine under
those conditions, except of course when people do not follow
instructions and do not properly clean it after use, but we have those
same problems (usually with the same people) with the Caliburs
themselves. If I can answer any more specific questions please feel free
to contact me.
Joanne Lannigan, MS


*Our experience with BD's autosampler has been mixed, but overall positive.
Pros: Walk-away analysis, FACSFlow sheath supply/waste system
Cons: Clogs! System crashes (usually during loading, but sometimes during 
runs).
The primary problems are with analysis and the MAS software. Analysis MUST 
be done with other software unless you're doing one color analysis. We've 
had trouble during runs with it popping up a message "Client service error" 
which usually forces a reboot - not a trivial affair. If the machine 
develops a clog and you aren't there, it keeps running and you can get a 
lot of empty files, assuming you follow BD's advice and set the machine to 
advance to the next sample if it reaches a certain number of events OR a 
certain time limit.
All that aside, though, we've had some good data come from using the MAS. 
Microsphere assays are particularly well suited. We've even adapted 
proliferation assays using CFSE and four-color flow to subset the analysis, 
and that too works quite well. You just have to be patient with the finicky 
software and not get upset when the occasional hiccup occurs.
Doug Reed


*We have the BD Multiwell AutoSampler here at Creighton. Although we don't
use it as much as we thought we would, it actually works quite well. The
software is not "intuitive" in setting up the plates, and for me seems to be
the worst aspect of the system. I really like the 20 liter FACSFlow Supply
System that comes with the autosampler. This is a nice bonus!!
The only other thing I would say is that the autosampler itself (pumps etc.)
is a bit noisy. It probably doubles the noise in the room when it's on, as
compared to having only the FACSCalibur running.
On the whole, if you're looking for an autosampler for a FACSCalibur, it
works very well and I would recommend it.
Greg Perry


*I saw your message on the Purdue flow board. Just minutes ago I had a Cytek
AMS system installed on my FACScan and so far, I'm impressed at its speed
and ease of operation. I would be happy to keep you posted as I gain more
experience using it. Having never seen one of these devices before, I simply
chose Cytek over BD because of price: $28K vs. the $40K that BD quoted me.
Again, I am not familiar with BD's version and don't know if they offer more
features.
Cheers,
Chris Vandevert


*We also have a m.a.s. on a facscalibur. I would agree
the noise level is significant and the software is not
as user friendly as cellquest.
Also, it takes about 60 - 90 minutes to run a plate.
So it isn't great for increasing the number of samples
you run. It just lets you walk away while it acquires
them.
After running maybe 50 plates we just had our first
mechanical failure. It looks like it wasn't set up
with the most precise calibration possible and when we
used a v-bottom plate the probe crashed on the edge of
a well bottom. Our engineer then used one of those
plates to recalibrate it at the true centers of the
well.
Also, the facsflow sheath system is a great
improvement - we put them on all our bd analyzers.
Please feel free to call me at 617-665-5551.
-Steve Benoit


*We have 3 MAS (multiwell autosampler systems) connected to each of our
Caliburs. Because our immunology core lab batch tests frozen PBMC samples,
we prefer to use the MAS rather than sit at the calibur running tubes for
several hours. We use it extensively. However, it is not a perfect system.
It takes a little time to properly set up the sytem each day of use, but it
does have some great features such as keyword and protocol options that may
be saved initially and then choosen for future experiments. Our biggest
complaint about the MAS is the pump delivery system which needs to be
replaced every 3 months.
I have heard that BD is releasing a new delivery system for the caliburs in
the near future called the HTS (high throughput system). Once it is
available, we will be looking to purchase one to try.
Good luck,
Laurie Lamoreaux, MT(ASCP)SM