Applications of Flow Cytometry and Imaging Flow Cytometry to COVID-19 Research

COVID 19 has resulted in diverse research needs ranging from mechanism and impact of the disease, to solutions to identify, combat or treat the disease.  Cellular technologies such as flow and imaging cytometry can provide powerful information in this discovery process. In this webinar we will discuss cellular technologies and solutions available from Luminex Corporation to aid COVID 19 research.  Our Guava® Muse® and Guava® easyCyte™ platforms leverage the power of microcapillary cytometry and small sample sizes to provide quick, rapid methods for cellular counts and viability as well as characterization of immune cells providing information such as  absolute CD4 T , CD8 T cell, B cells and total lymphocytes with ease.  The webinar will also discuss cell health assays and capabilities on the platforms that allow for quick assessment of apoptosis and cytotoxicity from compound treatments especially in drug repurposing studies.

Our imaging cytometry platform, the ImageStream®X Mk II combines the quantitative power of flow cytometry with the spatial information provided by microscopy into one system. The ImageStream classifies cell images not only based on fluorescence intensity but the relative distribution of that intensity as well as morphology. The platform provides the capability to study signaling cascades and translocation of transcription factors, which may be important in immune cell activation and host defense against pathogens. It also provides the capability to study white blood cell sub types of interest using morphologic and fluorescence parameters.  The ImageStream® can also measure individual fluorescently labeled viruses; the new High Gain mode for the ImageStream®X Mk II increases the signal obtained from these small viruses while minimally increasing the noise. In this presentation 3 applications will be discussed for the ImageStream®, individual murine leukemia virus-sfGFP reference particles demonstrating High Gain mode, shape change, and nuclear translocation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Important questions  of COVID 19 research that can be tackled using flow cytometry

2. Instrument and assay tools available on Muse and Guava platforms for COVID 19 research

3. Imaging flow cytometry enables applications that can’t be performed by flow cytometry or microscopy alone.