High-speed cell sorter for biomedical research

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University $248,901 on September 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to purchase a BD FACSMelody high-speed cell sorter equipped with blue, red, and violet lasers for use by biomedical researchers at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale.

The instrument will serve investigators across two SIUC colleges and the SIU School of Medicine conducting research in cancer biology, neurobiology, immunology, and host-pathogen interactions. The cell sorter enables rapid isolation and simultaneous examination of specific cell subsets from mixed populations based on multiple surface markers, supporting both ongoing research and new projects currently not feasible with existing capacity. The equipment will be integrated into curricula in microbiology and engineering laboratory courses and will provide training opportunities for postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates in flow cytometry and cell sorting technologies.

The award is structured as a shared instrumentation project grant. Place of performance is Carbondale, Illinois. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.

Abstract

Flow cytometry and cell sorting are powerful technologies with applications in immunology, infectious diseases, host-pathogen interactions, vaccinology, cancer biology, etc. High-speed cell sorting allows for a rapid isolation of specific, and often rare cell subsets from mixed cell populations. Using lasers as light sources, this technology allows simultaneous examination and sorting of cells based on multiple surface markers. In this shared instrumentation proposal, funding is sought to purchase a BD facsmelody™, a high-speed cell sorter with blue, red, and violet lasers for investigators at southern illinois university-carbondale (siuc). Siuc has a vibrant population of biomedical researchers investigating cancer biology, neurobiology, immunology, host- pathogen interactions, etc. Acquisition of this instrument will thus allow researchers across two siuc colleges and the SIU school of medicine to not only advance their ongoing research, but to also pursue new research projects, which are not feasible currently. All future users of this instrument are also mentors to post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students; therefore, this instrument will provide opportunities to train new generations of young scientists in cutting-edge technologies. The use of facsmelody and cell sorting will also be incorporated into the curricula of several laboratory courses within the microbiology and engineering programs at siuc. A high-speed cell sorter will not only enhance the biomedical research capacity, but IT will also have a meaningful impact on education and training of students in biomedical sciences. Lastly, the integration of this technology into research conducted by siuc investigators will enhance their contribution to our understanding of biological processes (such as hematopoiesis, cancer development, reproduction, etc.), for advancing diagnostics, as well as for developing new vaccines and therapies.