Technical Notes: Insights & Applications

This technical note introduces the essential systems, signals, and analysis concepts behind flow cytometry. Rather than focusing on advanced applications, the goal is to build a practical mental framework that beginners can use to design experiments, recognize good data, and troubleshoot common problems.

This whiteboard video introduces beginners to a systematic framework for multicolor flow cytometry panel design, emphasizing alignment of the biological question, instrument configuration, and fluorophore properties. Learn the step-by-step workflow—from defining biological objectives and ranking markers to matching fluorophore brightness, minimizing spectral overlap, and implementing proper controls—to generate reproducible, high-quality data.

This technical note outlines the key principles of flow cytometry sample preparation, including strategies for maintaining cell viability, preventing clumping, optimizing staining conditions, and preparing samples for acquisition.

This infographic is designed as a quick-reference guide to help you diagnose and resolve common issues in conventional flow cytometry experiments. It walks you through five of the most frequent challenges and breaks each problem down into likely causes and practical fixes. Use this guide as a bench-side companion or a quick diagnostic tool to improve your flow cytometry workflows.

Strong experimental controls are the cornerstone of reliable flow cytometry, enabling clear separation of true biological signal from background noise. This tech note outlines essential control types and best practices that support accurate gating, minimize variability, and ensure reproducible results across experiments. By integrating robust controls with standardized workflows, researchers can confidently generate high-quality, interpretable data.

Learn about the emerging field of bispecific antibodies that simultaneously target both immune checkpoint pathways (PD-1/PD-L1) and angiogenesis (VEGF), representing a major advancement in cancer immunotherapy. While traditional checkpoint inhibitors and anti-angiogenic therapies have shown limited individual success rates (20-40% response in most solid tumors), combining these mechanisms into single bispecific molecules offers synergistic benefits by both enhancing immune response and normalizing tumor vasculature. A number of pivotal clinical trials are underway in non-small cell lung cancer alone, highlighting the significant momentum behind this therapeutic revolution.

This Technical Note highlights ten reasons to use biosimilar antibodies in research beyond cost savings. Biosimilars offer strong quality control, batch-to-batch consistency, defined binding properties, and validation across multiple applications. They also provide reliable supply, technical support, and translational relevance to therapeutic antibodies. The document recommends validation testing, protocol optimization, and clear reporting in publications. Biosimilar antibodies are accessible, standardized research tools that improve reproducibility, efficiency, and reliability in biomedical and translational studies.

Uncover the biology behind one of the world's most lethal respiratory viruses — the Andes virus kills up to 40% of those it infects, spreads person-to-person, and has no approved treatment or vaccine. This in-depth visual infographic breaks down exactly how ANDV hijacks your cells, how it spreads, and what scientists are racing to do about it.