English
flowShield
UV-C decontamination for germ-free cell sorting
Introduction
Aseptic cell sorting provides the prerequisites for antibiotic-free cell cultivation after sorting. However, potential contamination of the cell sorting liquid by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, viruses and fungi can inhibit the cultivation of the sorted cells. Such contamination can happen, for example, when the sheath fluid reservoir is opened for refilling or through contamination by compressed air that is required for cell sorter operation. For this reason, decontamination is usually accomplished by regular flushing the fluidics with sodium hypochlorite or ethanol, which is a timeconsuming procedure and residues of cleaning reagents in the fluidics are toxic for the cells of interest.The lethal effect of UV-C light is well known for inactivating microorganisms without the side effects of a chemical treatment. The antimicrobial effect of UV-C light is based on the absorption of photons in the wavelength range of 200 – 280 nm by the DNA, resulting in the formation of pyrimidine dimers which inhibit DNA replication and consequently block transcription to RNA. This principle is used by the flowShield: UV-C emitting high-power LEDs are combined in a flow-through reactor to continuously irradiate the sheath fluid of a cell sorter or contaminated liquid waste. The resulting UV-C dose of four LEDs enables the reduction of P. aeruginosa by log 5.8.
Publication available
Have a look at our recent paper about „A UV-C LED-based unit for continuous decontamination of the sheath fluid in a flow-cytometric cell sorter”
Brochures
APE_flowShield_rev.4.0.0 (pdf / english)
