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Mass Cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) @ KULeuven

Describing every single cell in the human body is one of the greatest challenges of our era. Single-cell technologies aim at mapping multiple properties of millions of single cells, both in health and disease. Flow cytometry is still the most important tool for single cell, targeted, protein-based analysis.

However, standard fluorescence-based cytometry, which commonly measures <20 markers/cell, hampers major progress to map the enormous amounts, and often rare, cellular subpopulations that define numerous patho- biological processes. ‘Mass cytometry by time-of-flight’ (CyTOF), a next-generation flow cytometry technology, is revolutionizing single cell analysis. Because CyTOF is uniquely capable of simultaneously resolving up 42 proteins in complex protein mixtures on a per-cell basis using metal-isotope labeled antibodies, it provides an unparalleled ability to phenotypically and functionally profile cells from normal and diseased states, even in small and precious clinical samples.

Due to its relatively low cost, CyTOF is suitable for (semi-) high throughput screening purposes, making it highly complementary to other, more expensive single cell technologies such as single-cell RNAseq. We recently installed for first academic CyTOF instrument (Helios, Fluidigm) in Belgian academia. This instrument is accessible through the existing KULeuven Flow and Mass Cytometry Core (campus Gasthuisberg), thereby providing >300 researchers across KU Leuven and beyond with access to state-of-the-art single cell technology.

Considering the challenges of developing a multiplex panel for mass cytometry, we are certainly open for collaborations. Please reach out to Prof. Frederik De Smet for further questions.

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