Sorting Large Particles at Low Pressure on the Invitrogen Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter
Sorting very large cells with standard nozzle tip sizes on cell sorting flow cytometers can be challenging due to scarce frequency of large cells and their fragile nature. The required pressures for 70, 100, and even 120 µm nozzle tips may compromise large or delicate cells due to the shearing forces associated with smaller orifices. Megakaryoblasts can be rare within a sample so accurate sorting and preservation of viable cells are of the upmost importance. Since options for large cell sorting are limited, the 200 µm nozzle tip was developed for the Invitrogen™ Bigfoot™ Spectral Cell Sorter. Now very large cells (50 - 100 µm) from complex samples can be sorted for further downstream analyses. Given the large size of megakaryocytes, and the complex samples from which they come, such as bone marrow, or cultured MEG-01 cells, sorting with smaller nozzle tips can be difficult and produce clogs. However, these cells can be sorted accurately, efficiently, and most importantly, remain viable for downstream applications using a 200 µm tip at 6 psi. The transition from a high-pressure nozzle tip to the 200 µm tip at 6 psi requires minimal user effort and is stable throughout the day during very long sorts, as is found with the smaller nozzle tips. The Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter already included the 70 µm, 100 µm, 120 µm, and 150 µm nozzle tip sizes for many cell sorting applications and the recent addition of the 200 µm tip further augments the options available for diverse cell sorting requirements. Learn more at: https://thermofisher.com/bigfoot
