BIOCONTAINED HIGH SPEED CELL SORTER

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This request is for partial funds to purchase a Biocontained High-Speed Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter within the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) Flow Cytometry Shared Resource Facility. The mandate of this core facility is to provide access to high-speed aseptic sorting of cell suspensions for all research groups within the biomedical area, including those who are developing pre-clinical pilot studies for cellular therapy and those with the need to sort potentially biohazardous materials. Through a collaborative arrangement between Cytomation and Forma Scientific, we have developed specifications for a biocontained installation of the MoFlo/R high-speed sorter in which all fluidics will be isolated in biosafety enclosure. The modular design of the MoFlo/R cytometer dates to the prototype designed by Dr. Ger van den Engh at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. One of the major reasons for the modular design was to facilitate custom installations such as that proposed here. Dr. van den Engh has agreed to serve as a consultant for this unique installation. The funds requested cover instrumentation only. Should this grant be awarded, the UPCI has agreed to cover the costs of installation including purchase and custom modification of the containment device. Technology in high speed cell sorting has recently improved to the extent that the new generation of instruments can routinely process cells at rates 5- to 10-fold faster than is possible with our existing equipment. Thus PHS funded research which now relies on cell sorting can be carried out in a more cost-effective fashion,a nd cell sorting can be extended to those projects which now rely on other less effective methods of cell separation. The proposed custom installation in a biocontained environment is, to our knowledge, unique and will provide significant added value to this costly instrumentation.