Re: FACSAria, running a small center, and compensation

Hi Karen,

Core cytometry facilities are increasingly common and bring with them all
the trials and tribulations of any multi-user facility. It is certainly
feasible to have a centre based on a single instrument if there is a
sufficiently large and varied user-base. There are all sorts (no pun,
really!) of questions you need to ask ranging from how you train users, how
you perform cost recovery, what is the best environment for the machine, how
you can assess where the machine/facility is a success. IN general most core
facilities will have a training for analytical cytometer usage so that users
are self-sufficient ­ this maximises the time they can be used and, if the
training is good, relieves some of the workload of the manager. Sorters are
slightly different and I suspect most core facilities have an
operator-service for sorters as these are in general harder to set up,
maintain and operate. This isn't always the case though but training would
need to be very thorough and this isn't something that PIs, post-docs or
even Graduate students want to do.

All cytometers will need someone dedicated to them so that they are
maintained, QC¹d and treated with the respect they deserve. Usage can
influence this but isn¹t the major factor; this is where training comes in
again, if users know how the machine works, have an appreciation of how it
can go wrong and be taught some basic housekeeping rules for cleaning, the
uptime is maintained. There will always be glitches and problems but with
experience comes the knowledge and recognition of these so that you can
re-assure yourself that your cytometer is performing satisfactorily.

Rh123 and PI can be used together hut depending on your Aria configuration,
you may want to use a different dead cell discriminator eg DAPI (UV or
violet laser), 7AAD (488nm laser), Sytox Red (red laser); if you are using
PI a 610bp filter is best for the emission max.

Many of these issues are being addressed by the Core Managers TaskForce
within ISAC and there is a dedicated part of the ISAC website
(www.isac-net.org) for Core Managers which is being updated at the moment ­
be aware that this is accessible only by ISAC members but I would recommend
that any Core Manager joins the international community as it is a very
valuable resource!

Good luck,
Derek


On 4/12/07 3:00 pm, "Karen Lapidos" <k-lapidos@northwestern.edu> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>  
> I am a (new!) official operator of a FACSAria.  Our lab is interested in
> making the instrument into a small center so that others in the nearby
> community may use it.  My questions are: Do you have any general tips about
> running such a center?  For example, how do you feel about training potential
> users for analysis or sorting and then letting them perform their own
> experiments?	Or is it best to have a dedicated operator that is available?
>  
> Also, we have had the instrument for about 7 months and have had numerous
> service calls already.   From what I know about the Aria, it runs best with
> heavy usage (ours is currently used only about 4-6 hours per week).  Do you
> have thoughts about minimum running time or other suggestions to keep the Aria
> working well?  The problems that we have had run the gamut from laser to
> instrument control boards to alignment issues.
>  
> Finally, we had one outside user who used PI and Rhodamine123 together.
> However, we were unable to get good compensation with FACSDiva 5.0, either
> automatically or manually.  Are these a bad combination for the Aria?  (We
> were using 575/25 and 530/30 filter sets.  The PI detector 710/50 did not seem
> to accurately reflect the PI fluorescence.)
>  
> Thanks for any suggestions that you may have!
>  
> Sincerely,
>  
> Karen
>  
>  
>  
> Karen A. Lapidos, Ph.D.
> Senior Research Associate
> Northwestern University
> Biomedical Engineering Department
> 2145 Sheridan Rd. Tech E350
> Evanston, IL 60208
> (847) 467-0573
> k-lapidos@northwestern.edu
>  
>  
> 


-- 
***************************************************************
Derek Davies, FACS Laboratory, London Research Institute,
Cancer Research UK, 44 Lincolns Inn Fields, London, UK.

Tel: (44) 20 7269 3394
FAX: (44) 20 7269 3479
mobile: 07790 604112
e_mail: derek.davies@cancer.org.uk
Web Page: http://science.cancerresearchuk.org/sci/facs/

In tenebris lux    
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