Evaluation and validation of a novel 10‐color flow cytometer

BACKGROUND: Flow cytometry is a powerful technique that provides information regarding cell properties. In this study, we evaluated the analytical performance of a new flow cytometer, the 10‐color BD FACSLyric(TM), which could help doctors obtain reliable test results prior to clinical research. METHODS: We used Sphero(TM) Rainbow Calibration Particles and the Sphero(TM) Nano Fluorescent Particle Size Standard Kit to validate the fluorescence sensitivity and linearity. The Beckman Coulter IMMUNO‐TROL Cell was used as the quality control to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of surface markers detected by the flow cytometer. Furthermore, BD Calibrate APC Beads and CS&T Research Beads were applied to calculate the carry‐over contamination rate and assess the instrument stability. RESULTS: A linear regression equation between the molecules of equivalent soluble fluorochrome and fluorescence detection limit showed a good linear fit (R (2) > 0.99). The minimum bead size detected by side scatter was 0.22 μm. The coefficient of variation percentage of each fluorescence channel was below 2%, and the carry‐over contamination rate of the cytometer was under 0.2%. After running the BD FACSLyric(TM) cytometer continuously for 8 h, the median fluorescence index of particles remained close to that at the time of cytometer startup. CONCLUSIONS: The 10‐color BD FACSLyric(TM) cytometer showed good performance in the evaluation performed in this study and may be trusted to provide accurate results for clinical research.