CYTO 2026 Scientific Tutorial: Solutions to SICS --Techniques and Technologies to mitigate Sorter Induced Cellular Stress

Solutions to SICS --Techniques and Technologies to mitigate Sorter Induced Cellular Stress

Presenters:
Peter Lopez, BS, Research Associate Professor, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Abstract:
Purification of cell populations has been an important technique used in biological research since the early 1900's. Various purification techniques provide different levels of specificity and purification, ranging from filtration to purify cells based on size, to flow cytometric techniques delivering high purity of populations differentiated using dozens of phenotypic

markers. The advent of FACS , a flow cytometric purification technique, provided a mainstay purification technique which arguably changed the playing field for cellular purification and facilitated many critical discoveries in biological research. FACS, based on electrostatic droplet deflection, provides highly purified cell populations,. In some cases cells purified by FACS have downstream functional deficits, and depending on cell type may have issues with viability or proliferative capacity. The perturbed performance of purified cells has been described as SICS. This tutorial will review the various forms of SICS, and will then present methods and
technologies including optimization of traditional FACS as well as alternative flow cytometric approaches that can help mitigate SICS.

Learning Objectives:
1-- Learn the history of cell purification technologies, their strengths and weaknesses.
2-- Understand the definition of SICS-- metrics and manifestations.
3– Understand the specific SICS outcomes observed using FACS.
4-- Learn the latest techniques and new purification technologies that help mitigate SICS.

Keywords: Metabolomics, Cell Proliferation and Death, Cell Sorting, Sorting, Sorter, Cell Separation

CMLE Credit: 1.5