SRL Best Practices, Part 6: Operations

About the Presenters

Joanne Lannigan, MS
Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility
School of Medicine at the University of Virginia

Joanne Lannigan was an early adopter of Imaging Flow Cytometry (IFC). Having received the fifth commercially produced IS100 instrument in 2005, she has worked with many investigators to develop numerous protocols and applications for this technology. Her work, and the work of her colleagues, has appeared in many different journals, including journal front covers, and has also been published in Current Protocols in Cytometry. Her lab has continued to upgrade IFC instrumentation over the years and currently uses a four laser, multi-magnification two camera, Imagestream MKII system to explore ways to utilize this technology to answer scientific questions not well served by conventional flow cytometry or traditional fluorescence microscopy. Her most recent interests involve the use of IFC for the analysis of submicron particles (extracellular vesicles, viruses, and other nanoparticles).  

James Marvin
Director
Flow Cytometry Core Facility
University of Utah

James Marvin has spent virtually his entire career within a flow cytometry shared resource setting. In 2001 James joined the bustling flow lab at the University of Chicago under the tutelage of Julie Auger and Ryan Duggan. This was the era in which cell sorters were a bit more “hands on,” and a firm understanding of the underlying hardware was essential on a daily basis. Next, James moved on to Northwestern University to “pick the brain” of Dr. Charles Goolsby. In addition to the routine aspects involved in a flow core, a transition to more clinical assays was pursued during this time. Through a strong collaboration with industry as well as academic partners, significant strides were made in optimizing assays related to signal transduction analysis in normal as well as diseased bone marrow. Finally, in 2011, James uprooted from the Midwest in search of the mountains and desert of Utah where he has been the Director of the Flow Lab at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. One of the many unifying themes through each of these distinct labs was the emphasis that education and training played for both facility staff and clients.

Webinar Summary

One of the most important aspects of a well-run SRL is the operational structure of the facility. A properly managed SRL requires best practices that provide necessary oversight, strategic and fiscal management and planning, self-assessments, and external reviews for evaluating the facility’s performance. This webinar will discuss the infrastructure necessary to insure the efficient and effective operation of the SRL.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this webinar, you will have a greater understanding of the important operational components that need to be addressed as part of overall Best Practices of a SRL. These areas include: management, oversight, performance assessment, annual reports/business plans, budget development and review, facility use policy and procedures, and communications.

CMLE Credit: 1.0