Change the way you process cells to get reliably consistent data
How Curiox Can Help
Mass cytometry, also known as CyTOF (Cytometry by Time-Of-Flight) combines the principles of flow cytometry with mass spectrometry to enable high-dimensional analysis of individual cells. This technology provides unparalleled detail, making it ideal for understanding complex cellular processes and interactions.
Mass cytometry can measure more than 40 parameters simultaneously at the single-cell level, offering deep insights into cellular functions, signaling pathways, and molecular interactions. Instead of fluorescent markers, it employs heavy metal isotopes conjugated to antibodies, minimizing spectral overlap and enabling the detection of many markers within a single experiment. The metal isotope labeling ensures higher sensitivity and specificity, producing cleaner, high-resolution data compared to traditional fluorescent labeling.
The workflow of mass cytometry involves staining cells with metal-conjugated antibodies, introducing them into an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) to ionize the sample, and then separating the ions by mass-to-charge ratio using time-of-flight spectrometry. This powerful combination allows for precise detection of surface and intracellular markers, making it an invaluable tool for immunophenotyping, signaling pathway analysis, and cell state characterization in fields such as immunology, oncology, and drug discovery.
Challenges Associated with Mass Cytometry
While mass cytometry offers numerous benefits, its workflow is complex and time-consuming, posing significant challenges for laboratories. Sample preparation requires multiple steps, including staining with metal-conjugated antibodies and washing to remove excess reagents. These steps are not only labor-intensive but also prone to variability, which can affect data reproducibility and consistency.
The longer workflow compared to traditional flow cytometry further complicates operations, demanding careful coordination and skilled technicians. Maintaining high cell retention and avoiding clumping or debris during washing are critical to obtaining high-quality data. Any inconsistencies during sample preparation can reduce resolution and increase background noise, negatively impacting results.
Furthermore, as research institutions adopt high-parameter mass cytometry assays, the demand for automation grows. Manual workflows strain already limited personnel, making it difficult to achieve consistent outcomes, especially when processing multiple large-scale samples. In core facilities where mass cytometry is typically housed, ensuring reproducibility across different users and experiments becomes even more challenging without automated solutions.
Curiox addresses these challenges with its Laminar Wash technology, offering a gentle yet effective solution to enhance sample preparation for mass cytometry. By automating critical washing steps, Laminar Wash reduces background noise, debris, and clumping, ensuring higher cell retention and improving resolution. This technology delivers more consistent results, helping labs achieve lower coefficients of variation (CVs) across multiple samples.
With Laminar Wash, laboratories can significantly reduce hands-on time and minimize variability introduced by manual washing, ensuring better reproducibility. These benefits are especially crucial for high-parameter mass cytometry workflows, where even minor inconsistencies can compromise data quality.
Curiox’s technology enables core facilities and research labs to streamline their operations, providing faster, more consistent sample preparation. By improving data quality and reducing variation, Curiox empowers scientists to unlock the full potential of mass cytometry, yielding deeper insights with higher confidence.
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