Scaling Down Flow Cytometry

Courtesy of BD Biosciences

San Jose, Calif.-based BD Biosciences Immunocytometry Systems http://www.bdbiosciences.com has introduced a new benchtop high-content analysis system. Designed to handle 96-well plates, the BD FACSArray™ Bioanalyzer uses red and green laser excitation and offers six-parameter detection. Up to 15,000 events can be screened per second, and the system, which features digital signal processing, can run one plate in less than 35 minutes, says Tony Ward, director of pharmaceutical market development.

The BD FACSArray Bioanalyzer works like a flow cytometer, but Ward says that the company is marketing it instead as a bio-analyzer, because it can be used as a platform for both multiplexed bead and cell-based assays. "Pretty much anything you can do on a small bead, you should be able to measure on this system," says Ward.

However, there is one major difference: Because it includes only green and red lasers, it does not support the...