Accuri Flow Cytometer Creativity Award Program

Apply For a Free Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer System

We are excited to see flow cytometry used more broadly in the life sciences. Towards that goal we want to 1) support new and innovative research, and 2) help investigators expand the use of flow cytometers. Download our Creativity Award Application and tell us about innovative protocols or new research you would perform if you had access to the full-featured analytical Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer System in your lab.

We receive many highly-qualified submissions and can only award two C6 Flow Cytometers a year in countries where we actively sell our products. Proposals not selected automatically stay in the pool of potential recipients. Awards are announced once a year in April. Creativity Award winners are not eligible for additional awards for a period of five years after their abstract was selected.

Download Creativity Award Application

2010 Winning Abstracts

Finding them Faster: Benchtop Cytometry for the Rapid Detection of Bacterial Pathogens in Foods

Byron Brehm-Stecher from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University

Recent major outbreaks or recalls due to Salmonella in foods include peanut butter (2007 and 2009), Jalapeño and Serrano peppers (2008), alfalfa sprouts (2009), black pepper (2010) and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (2010). Together, these incidents have resulted in several deaths, hundreds of illnesses and thousands of recalled products.

Rapid methods for detecting Salmonella and other bacterial pathogens in complex foods, in bulk food ingredients or in environmental samples from food processing facilities are needed to help make timely and informed food safety decisions.

Flow cytometry is a promising approach for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens, however, most flow cytometers are too large, too costly or too complicated for routine use in food research labs. In contrast, the Accuri C6 cytometer is a potentially game-changing instrument. The system has a benchtop footprint, is relatively inexpensive and does not require special training or infrastructure to operate or maintain. These attributes not only make the Accuri C6 attractive to academic labs, but may also promote its ultimate use in the field by food companies or regulatory agencies for rapid screening of foods for bacterial pathogens.

Our work will focus on integrating the Accuri C6 instrument into our existing food safety research program. Specifically, we will use the C6 to develop cytometry-based assays for detection of Salmonella and other bacterial pathogens in foods such as peanut butter, eggs, fresh produce and spices. We expect the C6 system will serve as a critical catalyst for accelerating the pace of our food safety research.

Classification and diagnosis of blood platelet disorders; additional value of flow cytometry and SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry

W.L. van Heerde and J.F. van Velzen from the Laboratory of haematology at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre

Hereditary platelet function defects are difficult to classify as the cause of many congenital platelet disorders is unknown. Nevertheless hemostasis is impaired without alterations in platelet function in assays of aggregation, secretion or procoagulant function. This lack of proper diagnostics is mainly due to the absence of sensitive and specific assays for these small anucleated cells.

In this study we aim to determine whether flow cytometry in combination with Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionisation- Time Off Flight- Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) are of additional value in the classification of platelet function disorders. In this study a case-control study will be performed, comparing routine laboratory assessment of platelet function in patients with congenital platelet disorders and healthy volunteers. Flow cytometry, using an explorative panel of 30 platelet antigens and 5 different activation markers after activation with different agonists, and SELDI-TOF MS analysis, to discover new potential epitopes, will be performed on blood samples of patients and controls.

We expect that the knowledge obtained with this study will have significant impact on diagnosis and classification of hereditary platelet function defects, leading to a better diagnosis of this heterogeneous group of disorders