Rethinking biosafety in flow cytometry

Handling pathogenic samples in flow cytometry does not just challenge analysis, it challenges safe waste disposal.
A recent preprint demonstrates a practical solution:

Continuous UV-C treatment directly in the waste stream using the FlowShield system.

Key takeaways:

• Chemical-free alternative to bleach-based decontamination
• 100% inactivation for E. coli and Klebsiella
• Inline integration (e.g. FlowShield) enables continuous, automated decontamination

What’s particularly interesting:
Instead of treating cytometer waste after collection, pathogens are inactivated inline before they reach the waste tank.

This approach (as implemented with FlowShield) could simplify lab workflows, reduce chemical usage, and improve biosafety, especially in high-throughput and BSL-2/3 environments.