Hercules, CA — December 15, 2012 — Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. will showcase its S3 cell sorter at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Annual Meeting (booth #3) at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, December 15–19. This will be the first public showing of the instrument as a Bio-Rad product since the acquisition of the Avalon system from Propel Labs in October.
Six “early access” S3 cell sorters have been installed in research laboratories in North America. One of the first labs to receive the instrument was a cell analysis and sorting facility at a public university in the Bay Area, California.
“Our lab was interested in testing the S3 cell sorter because of the innovative way it handles setup and QC as well as its overall usability,” said Michael Kissner, the facility's core manager.
Kissner's lab is using the S3 cell sorter for a variety of cell types, including embryonic stem cells and tumor cells isolated primarily by fluorescent protein labeling. The cells have been used for various downstream assays including molecular analysis and cell culture experiments. The instrument will also be used to sort cells to establish stable cell lines after transfection.
“We’ve received positive comments from all of the researchers who have used the S3 cell sorter,” said Kissner. “Everyone is impressed at how well the instrument works and how user-friendly it is. The overall performance has been fantastic.”
Bio-Rad will host a special event at 7 PM on Dec. 17 at the Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. The event will feature speaker John C. Tigges, the technical director of the Flow Cytometry Core at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
Tigges uses the S3 cell sorter to isolate regulatory T cells (Tregs) for transplant medicine. He believes the S3 cell sorter’s ease of use, small footprint, and gentleness on cells during sorting can lead to a breakthrough in bringing Tregs closer to clinical applications by increasing the number of viable Tregs that can be tested to monitor the immune response during transplantation.
Bio-Rad will begin shipping to fulfill orders for the S3 cell sorter starting in January 2013.
For more information about the S3 cell sorter, please visit www.bio-rad.com/cellsorter.
About the S3 Cell Sorter
The S3 cell sorter is an automated, easy-to-use, benchtop cell sorter equipped with one or two lasers, forward and side scatter detectors, and up to four fluorescent detectors. The new ProDrop™ technology automates setup and calibration in less than 30 minutes, which allows researchers to quickly sort samples at high speeds while maintaining sensitivity and high purity. The S3 cell sorter also has a compact benchtop footprint and comes with the intuitive and lab-friendly ProSort™ software package.
Cell sorting systems are used primarily in flow cytometry core facilities at academic, government, and industrial research institutions due to the size, high cost, and complexity of the operation and maintenance of flow cytometry instruments. The simplicity of operation and price point of the S3 cell sorter will make cell sorting more accessible to new labs and core facilities that previously could not afford or support a flow cytometry instrument.
About Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) has remained at the center of scientific discovery for more than 50 years, manufacturing and distributing a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. The Company is renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, major research institutions, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for its commitment to quality and customer service. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules, California, and serves more than 100,000 research and industry customers worldwide through its global network of operations. The company employs over 7,100 people globally and had revenues exceeding $2 billion in 2011. For more information, visit www.bio-rad.com.
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