Fluorescence activated cell sorting system - this proposal outlines a request to acquire a BD biosciences facsmelody cell sorter at florida a & m university (famu), a state-controlled public…

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded Florida A & M University $247,661 on July 1, 2026, to acquire a BD Biosciences FACSMelody fluorescence-activated cell sorter system under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859).

The FACSMelody system delivers forward and side scatter detection with nine fluorescence channels and sorts up to 34,000 drops per second with up to 4-way sorting capability, enabling analysis and sorting of cell populations based on fluorescently labeled phenotypic markers and reporter gene expressions. The instrument will serve shared-use research at Florida A & M University's West Campus in Tallahassee's Innovation Park, which currently lacks fluorescence-activated cell sorting capabilities. The equipment will support ongoing NIH-funded projects in engineering liver organoids for in vivo tissue restoration and ex vivo drug screening, enhancing nanoparticle efficacy in pancreatic patient-derived xenografts, and developing organoid systems for lung cancer research. The acquisition will expand research capability across biomedical engineering, biology, pharmaceutical sciences, and food systems disciplines and promote collaborations with research-intensive institutions in Tallahassee and North Florida.

The award runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with performance taking place in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida A & M University, a historically Black college and university and 1890 Land-Grant Institution, receives the award through its Division of Research.

Fluorescence activated cell sorting system - this proposal outlines a request to acquire a BD biosciences facsmelody cell sorter at florida a & m university (famu), a state-controlled public institution. The BD facsmelody has standard forward scatter (FSC) and side scatter (SSC) detection with nine fluorescence channels and the ability to sort 34,000 drops per second with up to 4-way sorting, enabling analysis and sorting of cell populations based on fluorescently labeled phenotypic markers and reporter gene expressions. The state-of-the-art equipment will greatly enhance research capability and capacity at famu, aiding several on-going NIH projects including: 1) engineering liver organoids for in vivo tissue restoration and EX-vivo drug screening, 2) enhancing efficacy of nanoparticles in pancreatic patient-derived xenografts (PDX) models, and 3) development of organoid systems tailored to probe lung cancer. The shared use equipment will improve research and biomedical activities at famu and promote collaborations with other biomedical researchers in tallahassee. Aims of this project are to: (1) acquire the BD biosciences facsmelody system at famu, (2) combine the instrument into research programs to promote and expand collaborations across disciplines between famu and other research-intensive institutions in tallahassee and north florida. This equipment item has been highly requested by the faculty, students, and staff members engaged in the areas of biomedical engineering, biology, pharmaceutical sciences, and food systems. The advanced functions of the facsmelody are currently unavailable to famu researchers. Acquisition of the state-of-the-art system will foster long-term shared instrumentation use and promote collaboration between research groups across campus. As famu's west campus in tallahassee's innovation park is currently without fluorescence-activated cell sorting (facs) capabilities, the requested system would fill a major need to advance biomedical activities at the institution. To facilitate usage, the instrument will be housed in a newly constructed research building at the college of engineering that has a collaborative concept design. Graduate and undergraduate students in biomedical engineering, biological systems engineering, and pharmaceutics will incorporate use of equipment in their undergraduate research theses and PH.d. Dissertations. The requested system will improve workforce development, while also increasing success of external research funding, further improving the research ability of the famu faculty.