Flexible sorting decision and droplet charging control electronic circuitry for flow cytometer-cell sorters.

We describe sorting decision and droplet charging control electronic circuitry for a flow cytometer-cell sorter. The circuitry can handle up to five independent input signals and can sort in up to four directions. A sixth input channel is used to determine the presence or absence of an event requiring analysis. Sorting decisions are stored in a read-only memory semiconductor device. All the input signals for a given event are reexpressed as either 0 or 1 and are used to define an address in this memory which contains the desired sorting outcome for the event. A set of switches enables one to choose between many different procedures for relating input cell pulses to sorting outcomes by switching to different blocks of the memory. The circuitry has been found capable of purity of cell separation to the level permitted by "deadtime" in the preceding analog stages. It is in regular use with the Ontario Cancer Institute flow cytometer-cell sorter.

[1]  H. Crissman,et al.  Unique techniques for cell cycle analysis utilizing mithramycin and flow microfluorometry , 1975 .

[2]  M. Lalande,et al.  Fluorescence flow analysis of lymphocyte activation using Hoechst 33342 dye. , 1979, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[3]  Joe W. Gray,et al.  High-Speed Cell Analysis and Sorting with Flow Systems: Biological Applications and New Approaches , 1974 .

[4]  G. Price,et al.  Characterization of stem cells and progenitors of hemopoiesis by cell sorting. , 1979, Blood cells.

[5]  R G Sweet,et al.  Development and application of a rapid cell sorter. , 1973, Clinical chemistry.

[6]  R. Miller,et al.  A design for a real-time fluorescence polarization computer. , 1980, Cytometry.

[7]  T M Jovin,et al.  Automated cell sorting with flow systems. , 1978, Annual review of biophysics and bioengineering.

[8]  D J Arndt-Jovin,et al.  COMPUTER-CONTROLLED MULTIPARAMETER ANALYSIS AND SORTING OF CELLS AND PARTICLES , 1974, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[9]  R G Sweet,et al.  Fluorescence activated cell sorting. , 1972, The Review of scientific instruments.

[10]  L. Wheeless,et al.  Quantitative single cell analysis and sorting. , 1977, Science.

[11]  R. Stovel,et al.  The influence of particles on jet breakoff. , 1977, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[12]  R. Hill,et al.  Cell cycle distribution of chronically hypoxic cells and determination of the clonogenic potential of cells accumulated in G2 + M phases after irradiation of a solid tumor in vivo. , 1979, Cancer research.

[13]  J. Steinkamp,et al.  A new multiparameter separator for microscopic particles and biological cells. , 1973, The Review of scientific instruments.

[14]  P. F. Mullaney,et al.  Chapter 12 Methods and Applications of Flow Systems for Analysis and Sorting of Mammalian Cells1 , 1975 .

[15]  M. McCutcheon,et al.  Measurement of cytoplasmic fluorescence depolarization of single cells in a flow system. , 1977, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[16]  M. Lalande,et al.  Quantitative studies on the precursors of cytotoxic lymphocytes. VI. Second signal requirements of specifically activated precursors isolated 12 h after stimulation , 1980, The Journal of experimental medicine.