Training and Resources 

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On-Demand Training Resources 

Flow Cytometry Basics: Self-paced e-learning courses from BD Biosciences. Focused on flow cytometry theory as employed in classical/conventional BD flow cytometers. 

For Users of BD Instruments 

FACSDiva YouTube Trainings: FACSDiva is the software that runs the Fortessa and the FACSAria. Each video is about 100 min long but goes through both the theory and the hands-on use of the software. These training videos were produced by Open Flow Cytometry, an open access Flow Cytometry education resource. The Open Flow initiative is a collaboration between the Francis Crick Institute (London, England), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NY, NY, USA) and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (Cambridge, MA, USA). 

Part 1: Experimental Set-up in FACSDiva 

For Users of Cytek Instruments 

Full Spectrum Flow Cytometry: After you have become familiar with basic flow cytometry theory, Open Flow Cytometry has released a training video on YouTube entitled Full Spectrum Flow Cytometry with the Cytek Aurora. The video is about 1h 40 min includes both a good discussion of the theory behind the instrument and a hands-on portion demonstrating how to use the instrument. They also offer a second training on the specifics of panel design for full spectrum flow cytometry. 

Cytek Biosciences 

Cytek has great videos short videos (~10 minutes each) on their website that demonstrate the basic functions of their cytometers. 

Resources for Designing Panels 

Optimized Multicolor Immunofluorescence Panels (OMIPs) are peer-reviewed panels designed for fluorescent assays. They serve as a great starting point for designing a new panel. 

Cytek has recently released their SpectroLearn™ portal  and FSP™ Panel Design Series which takes a dive deep into Full Spectrum Profiling™ Technology (FSP™). This video series contains 6 videos covering the following topics: 

Resources for Optimizing High Parameter Flow Cytometry Panels 

Once your panel design is completed, you will need to physically optimize the protocol at the cytometer. Here is some info on how to optimize high parameter panels for flow cytometry. 

This is an excellent protocol walking the user through the panel design process:  Panel Design and Optimization for High-Dimensional Immunophenotyping Assays Using Spectral Flow Cytometry – Ferrer-Font -  2020 – Current Protocols – Wiley Online Library. 

This is an excellent protocol walking the user through the panel optimization process:  Panel Optimization for High‐Dimensional Immunophenotyping Assays Using Full‐Spectrum Flow Cytometry - Ferrer‐Font - 2021 - Current Protocols - Wiley Online Library which includes five crucial steps:  

The following videos show examples of how to implement the above recommendations. 

Maria Jaimes: Best practices for reference controls optimization. Recording 

Addressing Problems with Autofluorescence 

A feature of the Cytek instruments is the ability to extract the autofluorescence. If you are analyzing highly autofluorescent cells, I recommend watching the following brief video Extracting Autofluorescence. 

If you are working with very heterogenous samples with multiple autofluorescent signatures, I recommend watching the following videos: 

For more advanced users, Cytek has a series of presentations on the following topics: 

On-line Tools 

Spectra Viewers