Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institutes of Health Office of the Director awarded UCLA a Project Grant of $703,181 under the Research Infrastructure Programs (CFDA 93.351) on June 15, 2026, for the acquisition and installation of a BD FACSDiscovery S8 Cell Sorter at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. This advanced flow cytometry instrument provides image-based and spectral sorting capabilities that enable high-throughput analysis and isolation of cells based on spatial features, intracellular localization, and cell-cell interactions—capabilities beyond those available through conventional flow cytometers. The equipment supports NIH-funded investigators across multiple research disciplines, including immunology, oncology, developmental biology, and biomedical engineering.

The S8 cell sorter delivers specialized analytical and sorting functions essential to cutting-edge biomedical research. Key capabilities include real-time imaging for sorting nanovial compartments based on direct tumor-immune cell contact and spatial RNA localization, as well as spectral flow cytometry enabling flexible, high-parameter analysis for identifying rare hematopoietic stem cell subsets and profiling complex immune activation signatures. These features directly support advanced research projects such as nanovial-enabled T cell functional screening and enable researchers to interrogate rare and dynamic cell states with enhanced precision. The project completion date is June 14, 2027.