Next-Generation Flow Cytometry Instrument Broadens Analysis in Life Science Research

Life science researchers who want to broaden their cell analysis capabilities can now employ a next-generation flow cytometer with a modular design that allows them greater flexibility in applications ranging from biomarker discovery to cancer research.

The new Life Technologies Attune NxT Acoustic Focusing Cytometer is being launched at the Congress of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (CYTO) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Previously, researchers using conventional instruments had to sacrifice precision and speed, limiting the scope of many research applications. The Attune NxT circumvents these hurdles by using a proprietary acoustic focusing technology to increase detection sensitivity and throughput. It can also be easily configured to run with one to four lasers, enabling it to detect up to 14 colors in a sample and to scale with the changing research needs and budgetary demands of any lab.

“The high sample rates of the Attune allows me to reduce centrifugation steps so that we retain more cells and more rapidly detect rare events,” said Professor David Cousins, department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester. “We could not have performed these studies with any other instrument.”

The Attune NxT Acoustic Focusing Cytometer builds on the success of the first generation Attune instrument introduced in 2010. Like its predecessor, the Attune NxT uses sound waves, as opposed to hydrodynamics, to focus cells past the laser detection system for analysis. Acoustic focusing enables higher control of the cells as they pass through the interrogation point, resulting in more intense (faster and more precise) sample interrogation capabilities.

“With the launch of the Attune NxT our goal is to make these advanced technologies accessible to all customers, independent of funding or experience levels, so they can be applied in new ways to help accelerate research and discovery,” said Brett Williams, vice president and general manager, Cell Analysis, at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Attune NxT Acoustic Focusing Cytometer is for research use only, not intended for diagnostic purposes.