Creighton University researchers have just purchased state-of-the-art technology that can speed the pace of biomedical research.

The study of how cells develop and function can be difficult because of the many different types of cells present in the blood, organs and other tissues. In order to study and compare the individual cell types, they must be identified and sorted. Current available technology can sort 2,000 to 3,000 cells per second. With the recent installation of the BD FACSAria instrument in Creighton’s Flow Cytometry Core Facility, cells can be sorted ten times faster - at a rate of 30,000 per second.

According to the manufacturer, BD Biosciences, Creighton’s new cell sorter is among the first of its kind, using recent improvements in technology that were integrated into the machine based on Creighton’s specifications. Creighton is one of only three institutions in the world to have this technology.

The director of the Core Facility, Patrick Swanson, Ph.D., associate professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at Creighton University Medical Center, says the instrument is designed to provide diversity and flexibility in its analysis and sorting capability, making it highly suited for use in a shared core research facility. Swanson compares cell sorting to making soup: "Suppose you want to make potato soup but your grocery bag is full of all sorts of food. This technology helps us pull out only the potatoes for our soup," he said.

The process of cell sorting uses antibodies that are attached to specific cell types. The antibodies are tagged by fluorescent colored dyes, which allow the researcher to distinguish the different cell types by their color tag. The cell sorter takes cells that have been stained with the colored antibodies and forces them through tiny tubes, arranging them in “single file” formation. Lasers then read and provide information on each cell as it passes through the sorter.

Current technology only allows analysis of four colors. The new cytometer can simultaneously analyze 12 colors, making the process of identifying cell types extremely accurate and precise.

"The ability to sort cells is essential for analyzing the ones that cause disease and how they react to different treatments," said Swanson. "When we have millions of cells to identify and sort, the speed at which we can do that definitely moves our research forward much more quickly.”"