International recognition underscores value of UAB’s cutting-edge flow cytometry and Single Cell Core – The Reporter

The UAB Flow Cytometry and Single Cell Core team, including Vidya Sagar Hanumanthu, MBBS (far right) and Troy Randall, Ph.D. (fourth from right). Image courtesy of Dr. Hanumanthu.Flow cytometry and single-cell sequencing are among the most in-demand services in UAB’s vast research enterprise. UAB’s Flow Cytometry and Single-Cell Nucleus Facility is one of 15 shared resource labs at UAB and is one of the busiest, averaging 600 independent appointments per month, according to FCSC Vice Director Vidya Sagar Hanumanthu, MBBS.

Over the past five years, FCSC has invested $3.5 million to replace or upgrade its instruments, expand capacity and develop new services such as multiplex immunofluorescence, Hanumanthu says. During that period, the core has been used by nearly 325 senior investigators supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and private foundations. It is often a popular stop when new research recruits tour the campus.

The core is now also one of fewer than 20 leading laboratories worldwide recognized by the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) under its Shared Resource Laboratory recognition program. The FCSC recognition, announced at the annual CYTO conference in Montreal in 2023, is valid for three years. The recognition program is designed to encourage best practices to ensure reproducible data. Peer institutes recognized in 2023 also include facilities at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, UK; Leiden University in the Netherlands; and the University of Pennsylvania.

“Every week we see new staff coming into the core” to check out the state-of-the-art collection of research instruments, Hanumanthu said. These include a BD FACSymphony S6 six-way cell sorter, a BD FACSymphony A5 high-parameter cell analyzer, a 10x Xenium single-cell spatial imaging platform and a Lunaphore COMET multiplex immunofluorescence instrument. “This ISAC recognition shows the new staff and all UAB research staff that we are involved in the latest developments the field has to offer, not only in the Southeast but across the country and internationally,” Hanumanthu said. The recognition should also benefit staff when applying for new grants, he adds.

The recognition is the culmination of a detailed process that included letters of recommendation from faculty and intensive core users, a user survey, and extensive documentation of educational programs and adherence to best practices and biosafety protocols. “The recognition by ISAC demonstrates that we follow rigorous procedures, including daily quality control checks and more,” Hanumanthu said.

In addition to the latest industry best practices, the FCSC, led by Director Troy Randall, Ph.D., has made it a goal to offer the latest technology. “Technology is evolving rapidly,” Hanumanthu said. “As a central facility, we need to offer the best technology available. If an institute in Boston or San Francisco can do that, we should be able to do it here. That’s how we’ve competed.”

Access to the latest technologies is also a great advantage for UAB trainees. Educational seminars on new technologies such as full-spectrum flow cytometry, “the future of the field,” says Hanumanthu, “generate great interest among PhD students and postdocs who want to learn more about this technology.”

Meeting the extensive requirements for ISAC recognition required a major team effort from the entire FCSC group, Hanumanthu said. “I have never applied for an R01 grant (the premier NIH grant for senior investigators), but I’ve heard the effort is about the same,” he said. “The recognition by ISAC is a testament to the hard work of the FCSC core staff and their commitment to excellence.”