Flow Cytometry Biosafety

***Please note that some content in this biosafety course may be slightly out of date, particularly regarding the use of Glo Germ particles to assess aerosol exposure. We are actively working to update this section to reflect current best practices (see Reifel et al., 2025). We also recommend consulting additional resources for the most up-to-date information on aerosol detection and flow cytometry biosafety including: Reifel et al., Current Protocols, 2025 (https://doi.org/10.1002/cpz1.70123); Reifel et al., Cytometry Part A, 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.24040); Aspland et al., Cytometry Part A, 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.24282); Aspland et al., Cytometry Part A, 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.24280); Cossarizza et al., Cytometry Part A, 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1002/cyto.a.24009)

This course will provide a summary of biosafety principles as they apply to flow cytometry and cell sorting and give an overview of applicable standards and risk assessment. Topics covered include:

1. Biosafety principles and procedures.
2. Understanding risk assessment.
3. Instrument-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs).
4. Biosafety in cell sorting.
5. Containment testing.

Authors

Kevin Holmes

Steve Perfetto

Hank Pletcher

Ingrid Schmid

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course, students will have a clearer understanding of the principles and practices of biosafety as it pertains to flow cytometry, in particular cell sorting. Additionally, you will have a list of resources to aid in risk assessment and the development of standard operating procedures in your own lab. 

CMLE Credit: 1.0