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Your Flow Experiments Just Got Faster

Attune® Autosampler for Rapid Multiple-Sample Processing

(See a complete list of products discussed in this article.)


The Attune® cytometer—the world’s first and only acoustic focusing flow cytometer—uses proprietary sound-wave technology to help ensure accurate alignment of cells through the laser beam. Compared with traditional hydrodynamic cell-focusing technology, the Attune® Acoustic Focusing Cytometer provides more accurate and reproducible data in less time due to its superior sensitivity, precision, and speed.

Introducing the Attune® Autosampler

The new Attune® Autosampler is an optional accessory to the Attune® Acoustic Focusing Cytometer that enables rapid processing of multiple samples. The Attune® Autosampler is compatible with many different plate formats, including 96-well, 384-well, and deep-well plates.

Unlike other plate loaders that mix samples by shaking and therefore may not produce a homogeneous sample [1], the Attune® Autosampler gently mixes samples by aspiration, maintaining both sample integrity and sample uniformity during analysis (Table 1). Furthermore, its intelligent probe design minimizes carryover (<0.5%) and prevents damage to the instrument. Importantly, the Attune® Acoustic Focusing Cytometer produces consistent data regardless of the collection rate or sampling method, and the user can easily switch between plate mode with the Attune® Autosampler and tube mode.

 

Table 1. Gentle sample mixing with the Attune® Autosampler does not adversely affect cell viability.

 
Percent Dead Cells
Number of Mix Cycles LWB* NIH/3T3*
0 0.75 34.10
1 0.78 32.83
2 0.74 33.52
3 0.74 32.75
4 0.74 33.26
5 0.75 31.58
*Ammonium chloride–lysed whole blood (LWB) and a mixture of live and heat-treated NIH/3T3 cells were stained with 2 μg/mL propidium iodide and loaded in triplicate into a 96-well V-bottom plate. Prior to acquisition, samples were mixed 0–5 times by the Attune® Autosampler. Samples were then analyzed using standard mode collection rates (200 μL/min for LWB, 100 μL/min for live/heat-treated NIH/3T3 cells) on the Attune® Acoustic Focusing Cytometer. Propidium iodide was excited using a 488 nm laser, and fluorescence emission was collected using a 640 nm longpass filter. Minimal variation was observed within each cell type, regardless of the number of mix cycles prior to acquisition.

Improved Data Analysis Software

In addition to the convenience provided by the Attune® Autosampler, we have streamlined the Attune® software to simplify both setup and data analysis. Using the virtual plate-layout view, you can create compensation wells, define instrument settings, and identify samples. This improved software also allows you to define multiple experiments on a single plate and recover unused samples. Data can then be analyzed as they are acquired using the heat-map view, which facilitates rapid screening and confirmation of samples as they are collected. Best of all, the Attune® software can be downloaded free without licensing fees, so that users to analyze results from any 64-bit Windows® 7 computer anywhere, at any time.

References

  1. Walling L, Carramanzana N, Schulz C et al. (2007) Assay Drug Dev Technol 5:265–275.

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