A state of the art multiparametric flow cytometry analysis system for multidisciplinary stem cell research

干细胞基本上能够广泛生长，同时保留分化成成人中发现的大多数细胞类型的能力，但除非我们能找到方法大量培养它们，同时引导它们分化成治疗有用的细胞，否则这种潜力将无法实现。影响干细胞分化细胞类型的一个主要障碍是，目前的体外分化策略通常只能产生少量所需的细胞。这意味着它们必须从其他类型的细胞中分离出来，我们拥有的最好的技术之一就是流式细胞术。这项技术依赖于将荧光标记的抗体结合到我们想要的细胞表面，这样当它们通过流式细胞仪时，它们就可以与其他细胞分离并保持其活力。如果有合适的抗体，使用本提案中详细介绍的仪器可以同时分析多达12种不同的颜色，这为我们在细胞鉴定和分离方面提供了无与伦比的优势。人类遗传学研究所有许多活跃的研究小组正在研究一系列分化方案，旨在从一系列干细胞中产生有用的细胞，流式细胞仪仪器不仅是这项工作不可或缺的，而且需求非常大。鉴于此，这一建议的成功结果将大大提高我们开发干细胞分化有用技术的能力，最终将使整个医学科学受益。

Stem cells are capable of essentially extensive growth whilst retaining the ability to differentiate into most of the cell types found in the adult but unless we can find ways to grow them in large numbers while directing them to differentiate into therapeutically useful cells much of this potential will not be realised. A major obstacle impacting the derivation of differentiated cell types from stem cells is that current in vitro differentiation strategies often only produced the desired cells in small numbers. This means they must be separated from the other cell types present and one of the best techniques we have for doing this is flow cytometry. This technology relies upon the binding of fluorescent labelled antibodies to the surfaces of our desired cells such that when they pass through the flow cytometer they can be separated from the others and retain their viability. If appropriate antibodies are available, up to 12 different colours can be analysed at any one time using the instrumentation detailed in this proposal and this offers us an unparalleled advantage in cell identification and separation. There are a number of active research groups at the Institute of Human Genetics investigating a range of differentiation protocols designed to produce useful cells from a range of stem cells and flow cytometry instrumentation is not only indispensable to this work but is also subject to very heavy demand. In view of this, a successful outcome of this proposal would greatly enhance our ability to develop useful techniques for stem cell differentiation that will ultimately benefit medical science in general.