News | November 22, 2006

Microcapillary Cytometry System Provides Productive 4-Color Antigen Detection

Guava Technologies have announced a new application study that demonstrates the considerable benefits of its EasyCyte Plus flow cytometry system for investigating the complex interplay of cytokines and immune cells occurring at both the site of infection and in regional lymph nodes.

Precise regulation of effector function is critical for mounting a potent, yet specific immune response to a given antigenic challenge. It has been shown that the microenvironment cytokine content of secondary lymphoid organs at the actual site(s) of antigen presentation exert control over the migration and differentiation of immune cell populations.

Using a multiparametric analysis approach, the application study describes how the effects in culture of all possible combinations of as many as 6 cytokines on the phenotype and functional capacity of CD4+ T cell isolates derived from human peripheral blood were investigated.

The application study was carried out using the Guava EasyCyte Plus platform, a microcapillary-based cell cytometry system combining the capacity for simultaneous detection of 4 fluorescent parameters with 96-well high-throughput screening. Simultaneous four-color fluorescence detection greatly expands the results obtainable from any one well, simplifying simultaneous monitoring of more complex biological studies such as cytokine production. Monitoring the interplay of up to four different biological mechanisms simultaneously improves the efficiency of experimental outputs. Not only does this shorten the number of iterations for any one experiment, it also comes that much closer to mimicking the complex biological responses within the body.

Unlike other flow cytometers the Guava EasyCyte Plus provides automated cell count and viability analyses of a chosen population to quality control cells prior to commencement of complex staining procedures. Thus preventing wastage of valuable cells and reagents. The Guava EasyCyte Plus then detects these complex stained cells using its new dedicated multiparametric detection software, Guava ExpressPro.

Data from the application study 'Assessing the regulation of CD4+ T-Cell function by distinct cytokine combinations on the Guava EasyCyte Plus platform' clearly demonstrated that unique combinations of cytokines had profound and highly varied effects on lymphocyte fate and function in vitro.

SORUCE: Guava Technologies