BD unveils first-of-its-kind cell-sorting technology

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.) is unveiling its new cell-sorting technology at the June 3-7 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry CYTO 2022 conference. According to the Franklin Lakes medical company, the technology allows researchers to see and sort cells at speeds “never before possible,” creating the potential to transform research across a range of fields such as virology and oncology.

Profiled in the Jan. 21 issue of the journal Science, the BD FACSDiscover S8 Cell Sorter features BD CellView Image Technology, which, according to the company, is “the first cell sorter to combine advanced spectral flow cytometry with sort-capable image analysis that will potentially enable researchers to yield more accurate data and sort cells that previously could not be identified.”

“This advancement in cell sorting fills a longstanding gap in biomedical research by enabling scientists to perform high-parameter experiments while rapidly viewing and sorting cells with specific, visualizable traits of interest,” Xin Maggie Wang, director of scientific operations at Westmead Institute for Medical Research, said in a statement BD released June 3.

“For researchers doing spectral flow cytometry, actually seeing the cells you’re interacting with gives you greater confidence in results and enables you to see cells in a way never possible before, and answer questions that may have been previously inconceivable,” Wang added.

Cell sorting through spectral flow cytometry allows researchers to sort cells using more parameters to better understand human health, disease and treatment, according to the company. BD’s new technology captures images of individual cells flowing through the system and sorts them based on detailed microscopic image analysis of each one at high sort speeds, leading to more accurate insights on cell populations and characteristics.

Puneet Sarin, worldwide president of BD Biosciences, said the new technology is “defining a new standard in cell sorting and putting the power of the cell in the hands of the researcher.”

“[W]e are excited to see how the scientific community will use it to achieve breakthrough discoveries in less time and with greater confidence, as well as uncover new applications that can help shape the future of health,” Sarin added.

This new technology joins BD’s other recent announcements, including the launch of a fully automated, high-throughput infectious disease molecular diagnostics platform as well as its expanded partnership with Babson Diagnostics of Austin, Texas, to develop a system that allows patients to collect blood samples at home for diagnostic testing.