Cytometry Gets Personal

Does the likelihood of buying a flow cytometer for use in the lab rank right up there with the likelihood of winning the lottery? The high cost of flow cytometers and the dedicated personnel required to operate them usually limit their placement to core facilities. But what if someone were to design a cytometer that was easier to use, didn't need frequent internal adjustment and maintenance, was considerably smaller than a conventional flow cytometer, and carried a bargain price tag? Guava Technologies Inc. of Burlingame, Calif., has done just that with the Guava Personal Cytometer (Guava PC). According to the company, the Guava PC is to the flow cytometer what a hand-held personal digital assistant is to a desktop computer. Although the PDA maintains many of the features of the desktop computer, it is clearly designed for a separate purpose, with a smaller set of features.