Can you briefly explain what a Flow Core does?

Like all core labs, we make a complicated, expensive, and difficult process easy and reliable for our customers.    

How did you get involved in the field of Flow Cytometry?

I took my first flow cytometry job intending to work for the summer, perhaps for a year, in 1997.  I have not left the flow labs since.

How long have you been managing the Flow Core, and what led you to this position?

I have been running the core since 2012.  Before that I worked in the pharmaceutical industry using flow cytometry for various purposes.

What sort of background (academic, professional) is necessary for this position?

Most flow core directors have significant biomedical research experience using flow cytometry as a primary research tool, as well as expertise helping others do the same.   Often, flow core directors are Ph.D.-level scientists, but there is no degree program in flow cytometry.     

Can you talk about the most common services and technologies that the Flow Core provides to researchers?

The most valuable service any core provides is trust in the data.  At the flow core we help you trust the data by working with you to understand the biology of your project and then working out together how to best use flow cytometry.  This can take the form of operator-performed sorting where we operate the instruments for you, or self-performed sorting or analysis where you run the instrument, and in our flow core you can trust our instrumentation because we maintain all instruments in prime working order.  We also offer training for flow cytometry analysis and sorting, and our doors (or email addresses) are always open for consultation. 

What are some of the new developments or technologies in Flow Cytometry that are exciting to you? How will they benefit researchers?

Spectral cytometry holds great promise for high-dimensional studies, especially where the readout is a profile of expression level and population frequency for a combination of populations.  But perhaps more exciting is a new imaging cell sorter that allows real-time gating based on image features.  This enables cells to be analyzed and collected based on intracellular features previously limited to visualization with confocal fluorescence microscopy.

How does the Flow Core contribute to the overall research goals of the institution?

Because we are an important stop on the journey of so many projects, we strive to be reliable and consistent.  If our part of the process is always done well, the end results are potentially that much better. 

Can you describe some of the projects that have come through the Flow Core that have had a significant impact?

Our flow core was fortunate to work closely with the Greenblatt lab to help discover a new type of skeletal stem cell, periosteal stem cells.  We have also enjoyed success working with the Jaffrey lab to use cell sorting to help create different-colored RNA-aptamer tags.  Recently, we helped Dr. Dupnik and Dr. Kirkman develop a method to detect and collect babesia microti-infected erythrocytes from human patients.

What are the challenges of managing the Flow Core and how do you address them?

Our main challenges are having enough capacity for needed work and finding more time to use our expertise to help others.  We have been steadily increasing our available instruments and have hired additional staff to help get more capacity.  To use our expertise more efficiently, we are beginning a mentor-style service model where customers can learn to handle even the most complex cell sorters unassisted should the need arise.  We will not require customers to do this, but we will be there every step of the way when needed.  This will not only open additional instrument time but will pay forward in the form of better flow cytometry at Weill Cornell Medicine.

How do you ensure quality control in the Flow Core?

On the instrumentation side, we use manufacturer QC procedures daily and sometimes our own additional methods for specific applications.  For samples, we work with customers to ensure that proper experimental controls are used in addition to the required staining controls. 

How do you coordinate with researchers to ensure their project requirements are met?

We approach every reservation as a collaboration.  When a reservation is scheduled, customers must describe their experiment in detail.  We review this information and will proactively reach out to ensure that we can in fact do the needed work and that it is done correctly and before any deadlines.

How does training work for new users of the Flow Core facilities? 

For new customers we offer an introductory seminar and in-person, hands-on training focused on gaining competence and confidence with basic flow cytometry.  Completing this training qualifies customers to run analysis unassisted.  For any desiring self-service sorting, we have a more advanced training like a mentorship.

How does your team stay updated with the advancements in flow cytometry?

In addition to reading the journals Cytometry Part A and Cytometry Part B: Clinical Cytometry, we attend the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry meeting, as well as MetroFlow, a regional flow cytometry conference.  Flow cytometry is also lucky to have possibly the oldest bulletin-board discussion list in existence, the Purdue University Cytometry Discussion List – a treasure trove of tips, tricks, and helpful hints going back to the 1980s.

How do you see the Flow Core evolving over the next 5 years?

We hope to grow enough accommodate more unplanned work like surgical samples and have a more robust training offering to empower more WCM researchers to do better flow whenever needed.  

What do you see as the future of Flow Cytometry?

Flow is cell-based, high-content, and increasingly high-throughput.  As research needs have grown in complexity, so has flow cytometry.  We are in a fortunate state where we will get to learn how to best use new capabilities like spectral and imaging, and teach others in the process.  

How does the Flow Core plan to adapt to and leverage these future trends?

We will be in the lab, marveling at successes and learning from failures, and always looking for a better way.

What advice do you have for young researchers who want to leverage Flow Cytometry in their work?

Come talk with us!