Biotech Partnership Emphasizes Enhanced Cell Sorting and Analysis Tools

A recently announced business partnership joins the expertise of two companies dedicated to the science of cell isolation and analysis.

The joint efforts of Fluidigm Corporation (South San Francisco, CA, USA) and BD Biosciences, a segment of Becton, Dickinson and Company (Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) will enhance cell sorting, isolation, and analysis technology by combining the cell sorting capabilities of BD’s FACSAria III Cell Sorter with Fluidigm’s advanced analytical instrument, the BioMark HD System.

The BD cell-sorting platform is capable of isolating single cells from a mixed population using up to 18 surface markers. Assessment of cellular heterogeneity and cellular biomolecular processes is then obtained by assaying for differential expression levels using the Fluidigm system.

“We believe this emerging field of single-cell genomics research will help elucidate the underlying biomolecular processes across many diverse biomedical research areas,” said Gajus Worthington, Fluidigm president and CEO. “Numerous publications in the last two years have shown that the Fluidigm BioMark platform enables important observations of single-cell behavior in a number of biologically relevant fields, including stem cell research, cancer research, immunology, and developmental biology.”

“Since the introduction of the powerful BD FACSAria III Cell Sorter, its immediate improvement on sensitivity and ease-of-use opened the complex world of cell sorting to a broader audience of researchers, enabling them to perform a wider range of applications,” said James Glasscock, president, BD Biosciences – cell analysis. “We believe that joining our expertise in cell sorting with Fluidigm’s ability to provide real-time polymerase chain reaction gene expression profiles of hundreds of genes from multiple minute samples will greatly simplify and advance single-cell research.”

Related Links:
Fluidigm Corporation
BD Biosciences