RRID:SCR_022315

The Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre (IFCC) is a multi-user GMO and BSL2-approved cytometry facility. The mission of IFCC is to provide investigators access to well-maintained instrumentation and human domain expertise for successful research outcomes. The IFCC gratefully acknowledges the following funding sources for equipment acquisitions: Dr Iain Fraser, University of Aberdeen, Saving Sight for Grampian, SULSA, Friends of Anchor, and The Gordon and Emily Baxter Foundation.

Access Terms and Conditions: 

• Users must have an active IFCC iLab Profile;
• All experiments must comply with the biosafety regulations, IFCC and University Policy;
• Only Core Staff can train users on the instruments and book instruments for untrained users.
• Samples must be transported in a double-sealed container and capped tubes used. This protects both the samples and the public.
• Biosafety and risk assessments must be provided as needed. Reference material can be found here: https://www.biosecuritycentral.org/resource/requirements-and-protocols/canadian-biosafety-handbook/; https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/
• Before you leave IFCC, please switch the instrument off if required. The policy of keeping instruments “ON” or “OFF” depends on the time of the day and scheduled bookings

Frequently Asked Questions

I have forgotten my password or have difficulties with  iLab

iLab provides 24/7 support and if you have any issues with your account, contact them by e-mail:ilab-support@agilent.com

What Training do you have, and how do I start a request for it?   

1. Register for an iLab account- you only need to fill in the * sections.
2. Submit a Profile Registration request through iLab (Training and Instrument Access). This will trigger training and service meetings to schedule your bespoke support. 
3. Hands-on instrument training competency evaluation Fortessa or Attune (pdf)

Under normal circumstances, hands-on instrument training time is not shared between people only. One person can be trained per session.  New users are given access to online training resources, enabling them to begin training even while working remotely. 

How do I book machine time, training, or sorting?

1. Register for an iLab account: Click on the Registration button on the top right of this page (or click here) and follow the instructions (here). 
2. Requesting training and services will only be possible once you have an iLab account and log into the IFCC iLab site.
3. To Book on the iLab instrument Calendar: Click, hold, drag and let go of the left-click button of the mouse, then follow the on-screen instructions.
4. University Out-of-Hours Usage: Don't hesitate to contact IFCC staff regarding out-of-hours usage. An  "Out of hours" form must be completed.
5. Data Analysis: The computers can be booked and used remotely. The dongles do not leave the facility.
6. Staff Instrument-based Assistance: Select "technical assistance" when booking. At least 72 hours notice is preferred.  For urgent inquiries, contact cytometry@abdn.ac.uk.

Core Staff Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Experienced users may also request out-of-hours use of the instruments.

What Instruments do you have?  

BD LSR Fortessa, Attune NxT with 96/384 well plate HTS system, Dual Camera Amnis ImageStream MKII with 96 well plate loader, BD Influx, BioPlex 200, GentleMACs dissociator, and bespoke data analysis software. The laboratory also houses a biosafety cabinet, fume cupboard, Thermo Scientific™ Megafuge 16R- FACS Tubes, 96 well plates, 15 and 50 ml tubes, an Eppendorf tube centrifuge, a magnetic plate holder, a shaker, an inverted phase-contrast microscope and tissue culture suites for mammalian and microbial culturing.  

• Internal SharePoint-Knowledge Portal: Navigate to SharePoint in Microsoft 365 and go to Iain Fraser Cytometry Resources

What Services do you offer?

The core has a dedicated tissue culture suit and wet bench laboratory facilities to support wet bench work pipelines for your experimental needs. 

The Facility operates on a fee-for-use basis following university recharge policies. Access to the IFCC facility is provided to University of Aberdeen faculty and staff, external academics, for-profit companies and commercial scientists through fee-for-service, project basis, partnerships, and collaboration.

Note: Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACS): The cell sorter is core staff-operated only. All experiments must be discussed and scheduled with IFCC staff in advance. For Registered users, submit a short request here.

•  For projects solely using the Bio-Rad BioPlex 200, submit a BioPlex 200 User Registration Form

Costings and Quotations: 

Prices are banded based on the Financial Source. Rates are listed per hour with the final billing costings adjusted based on the Facility’s charging policy.

Any quotation is an estimate based on information provided by the client regarding project requirements and is only valid for 30 days.

Actual cost may change once all project elements are finalized or negotiated.

The work price is reviewed annually in line with University finance policies- this means there could be an annual January increase or decrease while items related to staff time are reviewed annually and adjusted in August.

Acknowledgement Policy

Please reference the Facility's Research Resource Identifier RRID:SCR_022315

1.     A publication including data (main figures or supplemental) generated within the IFCC, stating: “We acknowledge the Iain Fraser Cytometry Center for assistance with the generation of Cytometry data”. 

3.     If an IFCC member worked closely with you on a project, you should acknowledge this. It is at a minimum good practice to include their name in the acknowledgement section.

4.    When intellectual input is given beyond basic training, you can offer staff a co-authorship. This is a critical consideration as a project evolves. Our resource staff is asked to contribute knowledge that makes a publication possible or enhances its value (novel resource laboratory work and insight, experiment design, preparation, data production & analysis). This should be discussed at the earliest opportunity.

5.     You can use our logo in a talk or a poster for a conference. This is intended to be for acknowledgement purposes.

Suggested Wording: The authors acknowledge the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre (RRID: SCR_022315) for assistance with [Insert what we supported here].

Contacts

Available Equipment and Resources

Map