An Easy-to-Use, Affordable Cell Sorter for Core Facilities and Individual Research Labs

Historically, cell sorting systems have primarily been used at core labs due to the high cost of equipment and the sophisticated methods needed by immunologists, the systems’ main users. As more researchers began to use the instruments for sorting experiments requiring less than four fluorescent parameters, wait-list times ballooned.

“Cell sorting and flow cytometry are not just tools for immunologists anymore,” said Steve Kulisch, manager of the cell biology business unit at Bio-Rad. “The S3 cell sorter meets the needs of most researchers at a very affordable price and can ease bottlenecks at core facilities by serving as a supplementary instrument for basic cell sorting work.”

The S3 cell sorter is equipped with one or two lasers (488 nm and either 561 or 640 nm) enabling up to four-color detection along with forward- and side-scatter detectors. The S3 system is ideal for sorting cells expressing fluorescent proteins and cells labeled with fluorescent markers, and for isolating individual cells for single-cell PCR or digital PCR studies. The S3 cell sorter allows researchers to sort cells at high speeds while maintaining high sensitivity and purity.

Key benefits include:
•    Simplified experimental setup — automatic instrument setup and calibration in less than 30 minutes with minimal training
•    Automatic cleaning — reduced carryover thanks to a dual-position loading stage that ensures the sample line is cleaned between sorting runs
•    Small benchtop footprint — internalized fluidics and temperature control system for a compact size (2.3 × 2.1 × 2.1 ft)