Flow Cytometry Training & Education

Greetings and Welcome to University of Michigan BRCF Flow Cytometry Core Facility. My name is David Adams, and I am the Managing Director for the Flow Core. I’ve been working in and training people in flow cytometric techniques since 1992, and I am always excited by the opportunity to introduce investigators to this powerful technique.

If you are interested in learning about flow cytometry, I have prepared a brief tutorial which is presented below. Each section and associated exercise should take no longer than one hour to complete. If you have questions at any time, feel free to stop by the flow lab and speak to me directly. I am also readily available by phone or email throughout the day.

This module covers basic flow cytometry theory by reviewing the following topics:

No training is required to bring samples to the facility to be run by our trained technicians. However, we do offer training on all core instrumentation for those users wanting to take advantage of the discounted rate for self-operation or for those wanting to utilize the equipment during the off-hours.

The training consists of two steps. The first is a mandatory lecture. This lecture is held monthly on the second tuesday of the month at 10:30am at the  BSRB or the fourth friday of the month at 11am at the NCRC.  Please verify lecture location with core staff.

Following the initial lecture, analyzer users will be allowed to schedule for a one-hour “hands on” training session on the analyzer of their choice or a 1.5 hour “hands-on” training session on one of the Sony cell sorters.  Additional training time can be scheduled as required. Generally a minimum of three hands-on sessions are required when learning your first instrument.  When the trainee feels comfortable on the platform, they can request that a practical exam (Start instrument, QC instrument, create new protocol, optimize and run samples, export data, and shut down instrument) be scheduled.  Once the exam has been passed, the user will be granted self-operation privileges.  Those requesting cell sorter training on one of the higher-end platforms (Aria, Astrios, Bigfoot, S8) must first demonstrate a marked aptitude in flow cytometry operation and have already been trained on another core instrument. 

Instructor: David J Adams
Phone: 734.647.3216
University of Michigan Flow Core Website
Email: davadams@med.umich.edu  (Any Time)
Office: M-F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST

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