Compact/Benchtop Flow Cytometers

Compact flow cytometers operate like their larger counter parts, but with the added benefits of lower-cost and space-saving designs. As a result, individual researchers are able to use flow cytometers in their own labs. Compact flow cytometers typically have up to three integrated lasers, with some vendors offering upgrade options for four- or five-laser systems.

Competition in the compact flow cytometry market has become more intense as the number of system manufacturers and products continues to increase. Larger flow cytometry vendors such as Becton Dickinson (BD) and Beckman Coulter, the research flow cytometer system leaders, were late entrants into the compact market. Nonetheless, they have had success. Guava Technologies, which was acquired by Millipore for $22.6 million earlier this year (see IBO 2/15/09), was one of the first companies to commercialize a compact flow cytometer (see IBO 9/15/09). The company’s easyCyte model comes in two configurations: the 8HT and mini. The 8HT integrates blue and red lasers and has 96-well compatibility, while the mini integrates a blue laser. Guava’s PCA system comes with a green laser and has a 96-well option.

Partec, a German-based company, offers its CyFlow line of flow cytometers in a variety of configurations, ranging from single-laser systems to systems with five-laser capabilities. CyFlow SL is a single-laser system, capable of detecting up to three colors. The CyFLow Space can integrate up to three laser light sources, including a 488 nm blue solid state laser, a 635 nm red diode laser, and a 405 nm violet or 375 nm ultraviolet diode laser.

Another German-based company, Miltenyi Biotec, which is better known for its magnetic bead cell separation technology, recently entered the compact flow cytometry market with the MACSQuant flow cytometer. The system employs three air-cooled lasers and can analyze up to 10,000 events per second.

Beckman Coulter’s Cell Lab Quanta flow cytometer was introduced in 2005 and was the outcome of a joint development effort with NPE Systems. The Quanta can detect three fluorescent colors, and comes with a 488 nm laser, in addition to 366 nm, 405 nm and 435 nm UV light sources. Beckman Coulter also offers the Quanta SC MPL Multi-Platform Loader, which can integrate sample cups, micro-centrifuge tubes, and 24-, 96- or 384-well plates. BD continues to address the upper-tier of the technology spectrum. Although not exactly a compact system, the LSRFortessa cell analyzer, introduced in January, is a five-laser system. It is a compact version of the seven-laser BD LSR II flow cytometer.

The market for compact flow cytometers is fast approaching $100 million, fueled by cell culture applications and momentum from stem cell research. Although instrument sales have been somewhat lackluster in 2009, stimulus funding is expected to boost instrument revenues in the near term.

Compact Flow Cytometers at a Glance:

Leading Suppliers

• Beckman Coulter

• Partec

• Guava Technologies

Largest Markets

• Academia

• Government

• Biotechnology

Instrument Cost

• $30,000–$100,000

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