Invitrogen™ Attune™ CytPix: Imaging-Enhanced Flow Cytometer

The Attune CytPix Flow Cytometer is an advanced cell analyzer that combines acoustic focusing fluidics for high sensitivity and high throughput with a high-speed camera.

Its distinguishing feature is a high-speed brightfield camera that records images of individual events as they pass through the flow cell. The camera and Attune Cytometric Software help to ensure that the events you analyze are single cells as opposed to doublets, clumps, or debris. This is useful in almost any flow cytometry experiment to help researchers understand the morphology of each cell population identified for analysis. The images can also aid in identifying debris or doublets and optimizing protocols.

As samples are acquired on the Attune CytPix Flow Cytometer, the high-speed camera captures and stores images of a sampling of events. For greater flexibility, Attune Cytometric Software lets you adjust the image capture frequency as needed, and can capture up to 6,000 images per second depending on the flow rate and image size. Acoustic focusing helps to position the cells so that a sharp image is obtained.

Optical focus is maintained regardless of the sample flow rate. You can image events at flow rates up to 1,000 µL/minute, and adjust the focus, imaging window, and illumination settings to your target cell type.

Capturing images of cell populations as you acquire flow data lets you select cell images and backgate them on the dot plot or histogram. This allows you to adjust your gates to include cells of interest while excluding aggregates, unwanted cells, and debris. You can combine data from the integrated cell measurement tool with fluorescence and light scatter cytometry to set and confirm gates.

Imaging-enhanced flow cytometer applications include almost any study that can benefit from understanding the morphology of each cell population identified. The imaging capability lets you look more deeply into results to:

Confirm gate accuracy in real time
Use images to adjust gates and camera settings, and exclude atypical cells and debris for more robust gating
Further characterize cell populations
Document morphologically distinct populations in existing protocols such as apoptosis detection
Capture cell-to-cell interactions
With visual clarity
Visualize structural features of large populations
With high-throughput, detailed photographic evidence
Discover opportunities for analysis
Based on fluorescence, scatter, and morphological features
High-throughput quality control
Detect quality issues quickly by adding rapid imaging to cell culture QC workflows, and monitor changes in cell morphology as the plate is processed