"BD FACS Verse" Flow Cytometer.

We will use this new generation flow cytometer, the FACS Verse, to perform cutting edge studies on the identification and characterisation of cells responsible for immune diseases, especially multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, asthma, those responsible for rejection of transplants, and those responsible for the failure to kill cancer cells. A flow cytometer analyses surface characteristics and fluorescent light emission of cells or particles in a flow system. The highly sophisticated technology of the FACS Verse instrument makes it possible to simultaneously analyse 10 different parameters for each cell. The instrument can differentiate between different cell types, and cell components can be stained with antibodies coupled to fluorescent dyes, to visualise membrane or intracellular proteins. This is an extremely powerful tool for characterisation of individual cells of the immune system, as even intracellular molecules such as cytokines or transcription factors can be visualized in single cells, enabling us to analyse their functional state. We therefore expect to realise a major breaktrough in the research programs of this consortium on clinical immunology.

Keywords:Multiple sclerosis, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Flow cytometer

Disciplines:Immunology