Bioimaging and flow cytometry
The University of Surrey Bioimaging and Flow Cytometry (BIAFC) core facility supports the imaging and flow cytometry requirements of staff and students at the University of Surrey, as well as to outside academic and industrial institutions upon request.
Make an enquiry
Email usAbout us
We have a wide research user base, with particular interests in:
- Cell biology
- Immunology
- Bacteriology
- Virology
- Cancer biology
- Cell death
We provide full training and any assistance required in flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. We also offer a cell sorting service.
Flow cytometry
The instruments within the core facility allow for multi-parameter analysis of your cells, including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells which can either be alive or fixed. It is also possible to sort your cells into separate populations based on their characteristics as shown by fluorescent indicators.
See below for further details on the capabilities of the instruments within the facility to enable fluorochrome choice.
The facility is equipped with the following flow cytometers and cell sorter:
- BD Biosciences FACS ARIA Fusion (4-laser, 16 colour), FACS DIVA v8.0 software - contained in a Class II Microbiology Safety Cabinet
- BD Biosciences FACS Celesta (3-laser, 12-colour),FACS DIVA v8.0 software
- Thermo Fisher Attune Acoustic Focussing Flow Cytometer (2-laser, 7-colour), Attune NxT software
- Analysis computer containing FlowJo v10 software.
| Laser | Filters | Fluorochrome Choices |
| Violet 405nm | 450/50 | BV421, V450, Pacific Blue, DAPI |
| 525/50 | BV510, V500, AmCyan | |
| 610/20 | BV605 | |
| 660/20 | BV650 | |
| 710/50 | BV711 | |
| 780/60 | BV786 | |
| Blue 488nm | 530/30 | FITC, AF488, GFP, BB515 |
| 695/40 | PerCP-Cy5.5 | |
| Yellow/Green 561nm | 582/15 | PE, DsRed, RFP |
| 610/20 | FITC, AF488, GFP, BB515 | |
| 670/14 | PE-Cy5 | |
| 710/50 | PE-Cy5.5 | |
| 780/60 | PE-Cy7 | |
| Red 640nm | 670/30 | APC, AF647 |
| 730/45 | AF700 | |
| 780/60 | APC-Cy7, APC-H7 |
| Laser | Filters | Fluorochrome Choices |
| Violet 403nm | 450/50 | BV421, V450, Pacific Blue, DAPI |
| 525/50 | BV510, V500, AmCyan | |
| 610/20 | BV605 | |
| 670/30 | BV650 | |
| 780/60 | BV786 | |
| Blue 488nm | 530/30 | FITC, AF488, GFP, BB515 |
| 575/25 | PE | |
| 610/20 | FITC, AF488, GFP, BB515 | |
| 695/40 | PerCP-Cy5.5 | |
| Red 640nm | 670/30 | APC, AF647 |
| 730/45 | AF700 | |
| 780/60 | APC-Cy7, APC-H7 |
| Laser | Filters | Fluorochrome Choices |
|---|---|---|
| Blue 488nm | 530/30 | FITC, GFP |
| 590/40 | PI | |
| 695/40 | PerCP-Cy5.5 | |
| Yellow/Green 561nm | 585/16 | PE, RFP |
| 620/15 | mCherry, PE-Texas Red | |
| 695/40 | PE-Cy5.5 | |
| 780/60 | PE-Cy7 |
Bioimaging
The instruments that are available allow for multi-dimensional analysis of your cells including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Analysis is based on fluorescence and brightfield imagery, and samples can either be alive or fixed. See link below for further details on the capabilities of the instruments within the facility to enable fluorochrome choice and experimental design.
The facility is equipped with the following microscopes:
- Zeiss LSM980 with AiryScan 2 Confocal Microscope
- Nikon A1M Confocal Microscope and DS-Qi1 Widefield Camera (on an Eclipse Ti-E Microscope)
- Life Technologies EVOS FL widefield microscope
- Nikon EclipseTs2 FL microscope
- 6 lasers (403nm, 445nm, 488nm, 514nm, 561nm and 640nm)
- Full environmental chamber with temperature control and local CO2 delivery for live imaging
- AiryScan 2 - 32 channel detector system
- Definite Focus 3 function
- Widefield camera and AI sample finder
- Fully motorised stage
- Objective lenses:
- Plan-Apochromat 10x/0.3 NA
- Plan-Apochromat 20x/0.8 NA
- Plan-Apochromat 40x/0.95 NA
- Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.4 oil DIC
- Windows 10 computer with Zen Blue software
4 lasers and 6 laser lines:
- High power solid state laser: 405nm
- Argon: 457nm, 488nm ,514nm
- Solid state diode laser, Coherent: 561nm
- Solid state diode laser, Melles Griot: 643nm
- Mercury lamp for Widefield fluorescence imaging
- Nikon spectral detector for spectral imaging
Objective lenses:
For Brightfield, Fluorescence and Phase Contrast
- Plan Fluor 10x/0.3NA Working distance 15.2mm DL
- Plan Fluor (Extra Long Working Distance – for imaging through well plates) 20x/0.45NA Working distance 8.2mm ADM
- Plan Fluor (Extra Long Working Distance – for imaging through well plates) 40x/0.60NA Working distance 3.6mm ADM
For Brightfield, Fluorescence and Differential Interference Contrast (DIC)
- Plan Apo Violet corrected 20x/0.75NA Working distance 1mm DIC
- Plan Apo Violet corrected 60x/1.40NA Working distance 0.13mm Oil DIC
- Motorised stage for automated multi area timelapse imaging
- Full environmental chamber for temperature control plus local CO2 delivery for atmospheric control
- Windows 7 computer with NIS elements acquisition software for both confocal and widefield imaging
3 LEDS:
- Ex: 405nm Em: 447/60 (DAPI)
- Ex: 488nm Em: 510/42 (GFP)
- Ex: 585nm Em: 624/40 (Texas Red)
- Transmitted light (bright field and phase contrast)
Objective lenses:
- 4x/0.13 EVOS LPlan long working distance (glass/plastic)
- 4x/0.13 Olympus short working distance (non-EVOS) (glass/plastic)
- 10x/0.3 EVOS LPlanFL long working distance (glass/plastic)
- 40x/0.65 EVOS LPlanFL long working distance (glass/plastic)
- 100x/1.4 EVOS oil Plan Fluorite (glass only)
- 15” LCD display high-resolution (1,024 x 768 pixels) colour monitor with adjustable tilt
- EVOS FL software for easy snapshot images of fluorescent samples straight to USB stick. Time lapse and cell counting functions are also available.
3 LEDS:
- Ex: 390/38 Em: 475/90 (DAPI)
- Ex: 470/40 Em: 534/55 (GFP/FITC)
- Ex: 561/75 Em: 652/65 (Texas Red)
- Transmitted light (bright field and phase contrast)
Objective lenses:
- 4x/0.13 long working distance (glass/plastic)
- 10x/0.25 long working distance (glass/plastic)
- 20x/0.4 long working distance (glass/plastic)
- 40x/0.65 short working distance (glass only)
- Moti cam camera system linked to Samsung Galaxy tablet
- 4 laser system
- dStorm and PALM microscopy
- Small Particle Tracking
Book equipment and request training
Please direct requests for equipment booking and training to:
Gillian Wallis, Research Laboratory Manager
Tel: +44 (0)1483 689755
Email: g.wallis@surrey.ac.uk
Useful links
- Nikon online microscopy campus
- Zeiss online microscopy campus
- Check the excitation and emission spectra for your fluorochromes using this online tool from Invitrogen
- A table of the excitation and emission peaks of fluorochromes commonly used in microscopy and flow cytometry
- Popular flow cytometry fluorochromes (BD Biosceinces)