We have a FACS Aria cell sorter at our disposition from BD Biosciences (URL: http://www.bdbiosciences.com/features/products/display_product.php?keyID=53). We used this FACS Aria among other things for fluorescence activated cell sorting for proteomic investigations. Using Fluorescence activated cell sorting allowed us to obtain highly pure fractions of CD8+, CD4+ and DN DC subsets. However, because DC are a very rare population, this method is very material- and cost-intensive. Furthermore, it is not surprising that the obtained cell numbers of each subset after isola...

In march 2009 we obtained the new BD ARIA II, which not only allows 14 parameter flow cytometry, but also sorting of even very small antigen specific T cell subpopulations for further molecular analysis in close collaboration with Pierre Coulie´s group in Brussels. [PhD student Steve Voland]