Hi - On September 14 I posted a question regarding biohazard sorting on an Aria. Most of the responses I received were from folks interested in the same question! One user reported a serious containment setup - placing the Aria in a Baker hood, requiring operator use of a Depuy full-body suit, and checking for contamination with GlowGerm beads. Several users reported doing HIV sorts using the BD "Whisper" containment system, but did no independent verification of their particular system. (A number of them should know better!) At least one person verified the BD system on a Vantage/DiVa, but did not test it on their Aria. I do not have personal experience with biocontainment on the Aria. I was not impressed several years ago when I saw the biocontainment design on the DiVa in that there was no secondary barrier between the operator and the sort chamber - only the primary barrier provided by the instrument. This necessitated a 30 second wait before accessing until the sort chamber could be evacuated. It appears that a very similar system is in use on the Aria (correct me if you have better info) and in general would have the same problems. We use the Cytek containment system on our DiVa, and a home-brew one constructed by Eric Wieder on our Vantage. Both have simialr features in that they provide a second barrier between the sorter and the operator, and move a large volume of air (quietly) so the sort chamber can be accessed quickly. I checked both with phage and e-coli lawns, and they were solid in blocking all contamination. Marty -- Marty Bigos Director, Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology Mail: Box 419100 San Francisco, CA 94141 Packages: 365 Vermont Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Direct Delivery (FedEX, UPS): Gladstone Institute San Francisco General Hospital Building 3 Rm 509 1001 Potrero Avenue San Francisco, CA 94110 (tel) 415-695-3832 (fax) 415-695-1364 mbigos@gladstone.ucsf.edu http://www.gladstone.ucsf.eduReceived on Wed Sep 29 13:38:00 2004
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