Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Alabama at Birmingham received a $471,637 Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Research Infrastructure Programs (CFDA 93.351) to acquire a Sony ID7000E spectral flow cytometer equipped with six lasers (320nm, 355nm, 405nm, 488nm, 561nm, and 637nm wavelengths). This award, obligated on June 15, 2026, with a completion date of June 14, 2027, addresses critical demand for high-dimensional flow cytometry capabilities at the University's Flow Cytometry Shared Core (FCSC). The new instrument will alleviate scheduling bottlenecks on existing over-subscribed equipment and enable advanced research capabilities including autofluorescence compensation, enhanced small particle detection, and expanded fluorochrome and fluorescent protein detection not available on current instruments.

The spectral flow cytometer will directly support research conducted by 16 major users and 32 minor users holding 78 NIH grants, as well as additional projects funded by the Department of Defense, private industry, and foundations. The FCSC Core will administer the instrument as part of its existing financial plan, with five experienced flow cytometry specialists trained to operate the equipment. Institutional partners including the UAB Cancer Center, UAB Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and UAB Immunology Institute will contribute an additional $50,000 toward the purchase, demonstrating institutional commitment to maintaining the instrument's long-term operation and supporting high-dimensional antibody panels required for cutting-edge biomedical research.