PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The University of California at Davis (UCD) is a diverse educational institution recognized for excellence in
medical, veterinary and agricultural research. In 2010, the UCD Flow Cytometry Shared Resource Laboratory
(FCSR) received S10 program support (S10-RR-026825) to purchase a multi-laser, 18-color BD Biosciences
Fortessa analytic flow cytometer. The Fortessa has supported UCD investigators for 12 years, primarily at the
UCD Medical Center in Sacramento, across a wide range of multidisciplinary programs including the Schools of
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Stem Cell Program and its GMP
facility. After years of high utilization, the 18-color Fortessa no longer meets the needs of the NIH-funded faculty
it supports. The projects of the nine Major and four Minor Users in this proposal have evolved to now require 20-
30 color capability. The Fortessa is limited to 18-color detection and cannot be upgraded because its electronics
preclude the option to add more detectors. Further, its component systems are aged and have become unreliable
and offer poor performance compared to modern equipment. The BD Biosciences Symphony A5 30-color flow
cytometer is requested to replace the Fortessa. The Symphony A5 is manufactured with fast and quiet
electronics, sensitive optics, improved fluidics and offers expanded fluorescent detection capability and reagent
selection flexibility. Moreover, the Symphony retains several of the most popular features of the highly utilized
Fortessa, including rapid tube loading with the option to use the 96-well plate enabled high-throughput sampler,
and the intuitive DIVA software acquisition control software that our users are accustomed to using and strongly
prefer over other programs. The Symphony will be equipped with 5 lasers and 32 photodetectors which allow
investigators to choose from a wide array of modern fluorescent probes and proteins, many of which offer
significant improvements in the multicolor applications our users require. The Symphony will be housed in
laboratory space that is dedicated by the School of Medicine’s Stem Cell Program for shared cytometry
equipment access. The success of NIH supported biological research at UC Davis depends on the uninterrupted
availability of a flexible, reliable, and modern cytometry equipment that will support biomedical breakthroughs.
The Symphony will be housed in, managed and maintained by the Sacramento Flow Cytometry Shared
Resource facility so that UCD investigators have access to advanced, multi-color instrumentation and flow
cytometry expertise for years to come.