Partec Healthcare

For Immunology | Stem Cell Counting | Pathology | Cell Culture | Apoptosis | Sorting

Flow cytometry is a very important diagnostic tool in modern clinical laboratories. Flow cytometers analyze thousands of cells in less than a minute and classify cell populations accurately. Immunophenotyping and DNA analysis of tumor cells have been classical fields for Partec flow cytometers. Flow Cytometric techniques are routinely used for the analysis of peripheral blood or bone marrow specimens in clinical laboratories and research labs. Subtyping of different cell types is possible due to the availability of a large number of immune markers. Nowadays, leukaemia research and stem cell quantification as well as platelet analysis are routinely run on flow cytometry instruments.

The user takes advantage from multilaser and multiparameter configurations in Partec FCM systems. Smaller settings and healthcare programs in low-income countries benefit from Partec's unique Essential Healthcare products. These products focus on diagnosis of T-Helper cells, malaria parasites and mycobacteria in blood samples and body fluids.

Immunology

Today, many different applications are run in modern laboratories. Multicolour immunophenotyping with leukocytes and cell lines, leukemia samples and bead based assays can be easily processed on the same instrument.

Partec instruments offer the flexibility for multicolour analysis with one or several lasers. The classical approach is one blue laser which means a high tech 488nm blue solid state laser. The 488nm laser performs now up to six colours in a CyFlow ML. Alternatively, the user may wish to run two or three laser settings in a flow cytometer. A two laser configuration (488nm and 638nm red laser) is often selected for four or five colours work with little effort for colour compensation needed. This configuration is a perfect solution for immunoassays on microspheres with one laser for the microsphere identification and the second laser for the reporter molecule detection. Three lasers (spatially separated 488nm, 638nm and 407nm violet laser) opens new ways for precise detection of cell subsets and rare event applications. A new way for immunophenotyping is a CyFlow flow cytometer with a high power 407nm violet laser diode. This laser excites a wide range of dyes (e.g. Alexa, Quantum dots) with a broad range of emission wavelength decreasing spectral overlaps.

Stem Cell Counting

The demand for accurate and fast analysis of stem cells has increased during the last years.

A typical example is the control of the outcome of peripheral blood stem cell mobilisation before transplantation.

Pathology

Solid Tumor Analysis | DNA Analysis and Ploidy Measurement | Cell Cycle Analysis | Cell Culture Analysis | DNA/Protein Ratio Measurement | Detection of Minor DNA Variations | Apoptosis 

The development of new aneuploidy cell clones during tumour progression which is of clinical relevance can be followed by Flow Cytometry analysis.

Cell Culture

Primary cells and cell lines are now commonly used for studying cellular functions.

The purity of the primary cells after the preparation procedure can easily be evaluated by Flow Cytometry. Furthermore, the transfection efficiency and the stability of stable transfected cell lines can be controlled.

Apoptosis

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is essential for correct embryonic development and maintenance of tissue homeostasis.

It is characterized by an orchestrated series of biochemical events which lead to characteristic cell morphology changes. These include alterations of the plasma membrane, changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase activation and DNA fragmentation. The majority of the structural changes and accompanying biochemical events can be analysed by flow cytometry techniques.

Sorting

The Partec Particle and Cell Sorter PPCS is a built-in module for closed Piezo sorting which offers highest purity and sorting stability for a wide range of applications in human healthcare.

Fragile cells or large particles are sorted without any distortion and other forces acting on the cells during deflection. Long sorting runs (for several hundred millilitres of sample volume) are possible. This closed sorting device enables sterile sorting of cells which is of great advantage for expansion of the cells.