Facility Website

Updates 

04/1/2024

 Bring your badge to access the core. Safety has always been the Core’s priority. For more information, see page.  

Join our Teams page HERE for upcoming events and interesing papers 

Note the following Core policies:

Cancellation Policies

BioSaftey Policies

UNC FCCF Sorting SOP

Services

Staff-assisted Cell Sorting Requests 

We offer the ability to sort a range of particles in our facility including, but not limited to: lymphocytes, tumor digests, cell lines, bacteria, yeast, single cell deposition into wells, tissue digests, virus-infected cells, beads, etc. We have the capability to sort BSL1 to BSL2+ samples. We do not currently have the capability to sort BSL3 and above items. We use nozzles ranging from 70-100 um. Required reading: Sorting Guides: Practical Cell Sorting and the UNC Flow Cytometry Core Facility Sorting SOP. This request is to isolate a population of cells from a sample for downstream analysis.

1. Navigate to Request Services Tab> ‘Request Sorting, Training, Acquisition, or Assistance’ > Initiate ‘Sorting Request’
2. Fill form thoroughly, accurately, and completely

**Note: Staff checks submissions daily, however, availability depends on instrument AND staff time. Notice of 1 week is preferred; however, times/dates are not guaranteed. Staff do their best to meet your preferred time/date.

4. Staff will reach out once the form is submitted to confirm a time/date.

**Note: Responses are expected within 48 hours (about 2 days). Instruments are used by independent users and staff, ALL TIMES GIVEN ARE TENTATIVE until the appointment is made.

5. If any changes occur between form submission and the appointment, make sure to update the form AND email staff so any adjustments can be made if necessary.
6. Arrive at the appointment with the samples prepared as described in the UNC FCCF Sorting Guide.
7. Staff will upload data to OneDrive and send you a link to the folder via email. This link will also be available via the iLabs request once the request is completed.

If you have questions or would like to speak with staff prior to scheduling a sort appointment, send an email to uncflowcyto@med.unc.edu with the subject line 'Sorting Request'. Please include the following information: 

1. Sample/Cell type (include species of origin, primary v cultured, etc) 
2. How many samples to be sorted. If known, the percentage of your desired population 
3. Fluorescence panel (include viability dye being used and any fluorescent proteins present in cells) 
4. Number of cells/sample you plan to BRING. Note this is different than expected number to get BACK.    
5. Have you previous ran the sample(s) on an analyzer? If "yes" please include the raw fcs in the email. 

Staff-assisted Acquistion Requests 

We offer acquisition services on all of our analyzer instruments. We have a wide variety of instruments that suit various experimental needs (See our website for the full list and optical configurations). Staff is happy to consult with panel and experimental design to ensure successful analysis as well. This request is to have staff run fully prepared samples and provide you with data files for analysis.   

1. Navigate to Request Services Tab> ‘Request Sorting, Training, Acquisition, or Assistance’ > Initiate ‘Acquisition Request’
2. Fill form thoroughly, accurately, and completely

**Note: Staff checks submissions daily, however, availability depends on instrument AND staff time. Notice of 1 week is preferred; however, times/dates are not guaranteed. Staff do their best to meet your preferred time/date.

3. Staff will reach out once the form is submitted to confirm a time/date.

**Note: Responses are expected within 48 hours (about 2 days). Instruments are used by independent users and staff, ALL TIMES GIVEN ARE TENTATIVE until the appointment is made.

4. If any changes occur between form submission and the appointment, make sure to update the form AND email staff so any adjustments can be made if necessary.
5. Arrive at the appointment with the printed Acquisition Request at the appropriate time.

**If you are dropping off samples, make sure to place the sample container on the shelf of the instrument that is being used, labelled with the staff name running your samples AND a printed acquisition form. If the printed form is not with the sample, staff will not run the samples.

6. Staff will upload data to OneDrive and send you a link to the folder via email. This link will also be available via the iLabs request once the request is completed.

Training Requests 

Information on the complete training process is located on our website here.  

Introductory Training 

• New customers must complete Work-Flow online class in order to request Instrument-Specific Training 
• Navigate to the 'Request Services' Tab> Initiate Request for Introductory Training Registration to sign up and you will be contacted within 2 business days with information to proceed. 
• Once you have completed the modules, please review the UNC-specific module for Core specific information and policies. 

Analyzer Training Requests 

We offer training on all our analyzers in our facility. Once completed you will have 24/7 independent access to the instrument trained on. This process begins with online modules completed at your own pace followed by instrument-specific training with staff. Note, instrument training may take several sessions depending on staff's judgement of user ability. Independent access to the instrument is done at staff discretion.  

• After completing the Introductory Training, fill out the Instrument Training Request Form to schedule your Instrument-Specific Training. Please allow 2 business days for staff to respond.  
• Initial instrument training is conducted with core-provided beads. Within 2 weeks, you are required to run an acquisition appointment with your cells under direction of your trainer. Plan accordingly as staff schedules are often busy.  
• If you are already trained on an instrument in the core and would like training on a different instrument, fill out the 'Instrument Training Form (refresher or additional instruments" form.

For information on available analyzers and their optical configurations refer to our website. For help choosing an instrument that best fits your needs, you can refer to this chart or email staff at uncflowcyto@med.unc.edu  

Independent Cell Sorting Training Requests 

We offer training to independently sort BSL-1 non-biohazardous material on the Melody instrument. Those who wish to be trained must complete the necessary online module is Work-flow (Cytometry Select 1- Cell Sorting along with the Flow Cytometry Essentials course; to get access to Work-Flow see 'Introductory Training') as well as meet the eligibility requirements outline on our website here.  Note, instrument training may take several sessions depending on staff's judgement of user ability.

To Request Cell Sorting Training: Fill out the 'Instrument Training Form (refresher or addional instruments)' form under 'Request Services' Tab. If you have not been trained on any other instruments in the core, see "Introductory Training". 

Independent access to the instrument is done at staff discretion. Once training has been completed, independent users may operate the instrument at any time during Core hours given availability on the schedule. If afterhours access is requested, additional training is required.

Consultation Requests 

Staff is happy to consult with you on: 

• Panel Design 
• Experimental Design 
• New Techniques 
• Troubleshooting 
• Best Practices 

To schedule a meeting, contact us at uncflowcyto@med.unc.edu  with the Subject line 'Consultation Request'. Provide us with a brief description of your experiment aims and how you would like Flow Cytometry to help with that.  

FlowJo Site License 

We provide site licenses for the FlowJo portal for our users. Users are charged annually. Note, we will charge the account to the PI you were with when the license was made, not necessarily the PI you are with when we send the bill out. If you change labs, let staff know. 

We offer two different licenses: 

1.  Individual: Attached to an individual email. Can be used up to 4 separate PCs (only 4 per year). These computers cannot be used at the same time and should be used by one individual. 
2. Shared PC:  Attached to a PC address (Single PC), typically a lab computer. Any user (with a [free] FlowJo account ) can then use the software but only on that PC. 

To request a site license, submit a Request under Request Services. FlowJo offers a 30-day free trial, if you are interested in trying the software out prior to buying the license.  

FCS Express 7 License 

We provide a license to access FCSE7 to our users. Users are charged annually. Note, we will charge the account to the PI you were with when the license was made, not necessarily the PI you are with when we send the bill out. If you change labs, let staff know. 

To request a license, submit a Request under Request Services. Email uncflowstaff@med.unc.edu with questions. FCES7 is available for a 30-day free trial here.  

Contacts

Map