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Microflow1, a sheathless fiber‐optic flow cytometry biomedical platform: Demonstration onboard the international space station
Author(s) -
DubeauLaramée Geneviève,
Rivière Christophe,
Jean Isabelle,
Mermut Ozzy,
Cohen Luchino Y.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
cytometry part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.316
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1552-4930
pISSN - 1552-4922
DOI - 10.1002/cyto.a.22427
Subject(s) - international space station , optical fiber , computer science , aerospace engineering , engineering , telecommunications
Abstract A fiber‐optic based flow cytometry platform was designed to build a portable and robust instrument for space applications. At the core of the Microflow1 is a unique fiber‐optic flow cell fitted to a fluidic system and fiber coupled to the source and detection channels. A Microflow1 engineering unit was first tested and benchmarked against a commercial flow cytometer as a reference in a standard laboratory environment. Testing in parabolic flight campaigns was performed to establish Microflow1's performance in weightlessness, before operating the new platform on the International Space Station. Microflow1 had comparable performances to commercial systems, and operated remarkably and robustly in weightlessness (microgravity). Microflow1 supported immunophenotyping as well as microbead‐based multiplexed cytokine assays in the space environment and independently of gravity levels. Results presented here provide evidence that this fiber‐optic cytometer technology is inherently compatible with the space environment with negligible compromise to analytical performance. Published by Wiley‐Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 Government of Canada