Author Archive
Analysis Consistency in Flow Cytometry
When collecting and analyzing flow cytometry data, analysis consistency and quality control are essential in ensuring the validity of data within an experiment and among experiments carried out over time.
Quality control issues arise when there is variability in how experiments are carried out at the bench. We will tackle issues relating to data acquisition in a future post. In this post, we’ll discuss analysis-related quality concerns and introduce you to several Cytobank functionalities that are geared towards addressing these.
Where do issues surrounding quality control and analysis consistency arise?
- Multi-center endeavors to collect and analyze data
- Heads of labs who want to maintain consistency in analysis and presentation as scientists flux in and out of the lab
- Companies interested in a unified analysis and presentation style
- All scientists aiming to achieve reproducibility
The Benefits of a Hosted Cytobank
You are probably familiar with our main server located at http://www.cytobank.org, but did you know that we offer hosted versions of Cytobank? With a hosted model, an individual lab or company has a server reserved for their exclusive use. The primary advantages of having your own hosted Cytobank include: 1) Premium Functionality, 2) Dedicated Computing Resources, 3) Access Control and Usage Monitoring, and 4) Premium Support and Quality Assurance. An additional perk is that you choose a name for the hosted Cytobank that shows up in the address (mylabname.cytobank.org, where ‘mylabname’ is a chosen name of your lab or group).
To help you consider if a hosted solution is right for you, here are some details about these advantages:
Premium Functionality
Having a hosted Cytobank means that you will stay current with cutting edge flow cytometry analysis techniques. Our hosted servers offer premium analysis functionality, such as SPADE and Dose Response Analysis. These tools are not available on the main Cytobank server (www.cytobank.org) and include implementations unique to Cytobank.
Cytobank User Stories: June Myklebust, Ph.D.
Welcome to Cytobank User Stories, a series featuring interviews with Cytobank users on their research, scientific vision, and use of flow cytometry.
This time we interview June Myklebust, Ph.D., a project leader in Erland Smeland’s lab at Oslo University Hospital and former postdoctoral fellow in the Levy Lab at Stanford. June’s recent publications include her contributions to studies on B-cell signaling networks in lymphoma and her work on bone morphogenetic proteins in B cell suppression.
Send us feedback and let us know who you’d like to hear from (including yourself)!
| What are you excited about in science? What is your scientific vision? |
 June Myklebust, Ph.D. |
Cytobank User Stories: Sean Bendall, Ph.D.
Welcome to our inaugural issue of Cytobank User Stories, a series featuring interviews with Cytobank users on their research, scientific vision, and use of flow cytometry.
First up is Sean Bendall, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Garry Nolan’s lab at Stanford University. Sean’s recent publications include his work on mass cytometry as well as SPADE (available in hosted models of Cytobank).
We’d be happy to hear what you think. Send us feedback and let us know who you’d like to hear from (including yourself)!
| What are you excited about in science? What is your scientific vision? |
 Sean Bendall, Ph.D. |
Introducing the Newly Redesigned Cytobank Support Portal
If you’ve clicked the “Support” link at the top of the Cytobank webpage, you may have noticed that our support portal has a new look and some new features.
Search our Knowledge Base
Our new support site has a Knowledge Base filled with articles to augment your Cytobank experience. You’ll find tutorials on our functionalities using real datasets, articles guiding you in both basic and advanced Cytobank usage, and answers to frequently asked questions. You can browse through article sections or conduct a keyword search of the Knowledge Base.
What kind of support can I receive from Cytobank?
We offer a wide range of support for your flow cytometry endeavors:
- One-on-one WebEx-based training to get you started using Cytobank
- Biology consulting support: How to design experiments, what to measure, selecting reagents, how to build figures, how to share datasets from your peer-reviewed publications
- Troubleshooting
- Data security
- Technical support for networks
- Inquiries about getting started with premium functionalities such as SPADE and dose response
Getting Your Lab Organized on Cytobank
With a new year ahead of us, you might be thinking it’s time for a fresh start. Maybe it’s time to organize the experiments that resulted from a flurry of work at the end of last year, or maybe you manage a lab and would like to keep past and ongoing experiments organized as people join and leave the lab. In this post, we’ll share our thoughts on how Cytobank can help you achieve these goals.
Hosted models of Cytobank
You may be familiar with our main server at http://www.cytobank.org/cytobank/, but did you know that we can host an instance of Cytobank specifically for your lab group? With these hosted solutions, your lab manager or PI controls who has access to your server and can guide the group in configuring projects to keep various research branches well organized. Read our previous post on Projects to learn more about Projects. Hosted models of Cytobank also have the advantage of offering you premium functionality that isn’t available on our main server, such as SPADE and dose response.
(more…)
