Flow Cytometry Core

The Rhode Island Hospital Stem Cells and Aging (SCA) COBRE Flow Cytometry Core function is to provide high quality, cost effective, state-of-the-art flow cytometry and multiparameter cell sorting instrumentation and associated expertise and services to all investigators in the SCA COBRE and to the general research community in Rhode Island.

COBRE Flow Cytometry Core Staff and Services

Mark Dooner directs and manages the core and serves as operator for the BD Biosciences Influx cell sorter and LSRII. An advisor is available to the investigators in experimental design and data interpretation.

The core has had experience with a variety of different flow cytometry applications and protocols and will work with both experienced and novice investigators to help plan and execute successful flow cytometry experiments.

Flow Cytometry Core Contact Us

The Rhode Island Flow Cytometry facility is in the Coro West Building, 5th Floor, Suite 5.08A, One Hoppin Street, Providence, RI.

For more information, contact Mark Dooner at [email protected] or 401-444-2463.

Facility Rates

Instrument or Service	Academic, Per Hour*	Industry, Per Hour*
LSRII (self use)	$38.50	$62.76
LSRII (assisted)	$71.50	$116.55
LSRII (training)	$71.50	$116.55
LSRII (offline analysis performed by Core)	$60	$97.80
Influx cell sorting	$86.63	$141.21
Influx requires set up fee**
CyTOF	$138.60	$225.92
CyTOF sample preparation	$34.65	$56.48
Offline mass cytometry analysis performed by Core	$75.10	$122.41
* Prices are subject to change. ** Set up fee will be calculated based on time of sort: More than four hours sorting = one hour fee One to four hours sorting = a half hour fee Less than one hour sorting = 15 minute fee

All first-time users must contact Mark Dooner to discuss their project and to set up a user account. Every effort will be made to accommodate sorting requests in a timely manner. Booking in advance is recommended.

Please note SCA COBRE projects and pilot projects will be given priority.

Flow Cytometry Core Equipment

BD Biosciences Influx Cell Sorter

Five laser system (355nm, 405nm, 488nm, 561nm and 638nm) for simultaneous detection of up to 14 parameters.
Capable of single cell deposition into many different sized culture plates (96 or 384 well plates, etc).
Equipped with a small particle objective for FSC size determination down to 0.5 µm.
Sorts up to 4 different cell populations.
Enclosed in a biosafety hood.

The sorter separates particles on the detection of fluorescent markers on particles such as cells, chromosomes, bacteria or nuclei.

Then the collected cells are suitable for downstream analysis either in molecular applications like protein assays and PCR, or used in viable assays such as tissue culture or injected into in vivo models.

Generated data may also be used to determine percentages of interrogated populations. The sorter can separate populations into tubes (1.5ml, 4ml, 15ml, 50ml), multi-well plates (6, 24, 48, 96, 384), or directly onto microscope slides.

BD Biosciences LSRII Analyzer/Flow Cytometer

Digital, 4 laser (355nm, 405nm, 488nm and 635nm) flow cytometric analysis system with 10 fluorescent channels plus 2 scatter channels.
BD FACSDiva software with digital compensation and ModFit software for cell cycle analysis.

CyTOF-XT

Now available through the COBRE Flow Cytometry Core, mass cytometry combines the technologies of flow cytometry with that of mass spectrometry. It applies nebulization, aerosolization and ionization to cells labeled with heavy metal isotope-conjugates, allowing for ion separation based on their mass:charge ratio and quantification of each isotope on a per cell basis ultimately determining properties of a cell population at a single-cell resolution.

The technique of mass cytometry is powerful, as it can analyze more cellular targets without the problem of compensation as seen in flow cytometry. The CyTOF-XT is capable of simultaneously analyzing up to more than 50 parameters both on cell surface and intracellularly.

Learn more about the COBRE Center for Stem Cells and Aging