Mass Cytometry Facility
Mass Cytometry, or Cytometry by Time Of Flight (CyTOF), is a technology combining the high throughput single cell analysis with the accuracy of elemental mass spectrometry. The technology is offered in two modes: suspension and imaging.
The suspension mass cytometry gives an advantage of measuring simultaneously over 40 different cellular parameters. Extensive panels of antibodies and probes tagged with rare lanthanide isotopes allow in depth phenotypic and functional studies of complex cellular systems.
Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) facilitates usage of the metal tagged antibodies on tissue slides. Therefore it allows the analysis of tissue with a large panel of antibodies and at the same time preserves the spatial information.
The Mass Cytometry Facility of the MRC WIMM is equipped with a 3rd generation Mass Cytometer, Helios, and Hyperion, Imaging System. We provide support to research groups within and outside the MRC WIMM.
Meet the team
Contact Us
We offer services to both internal and external users. For all enquires please email Mass.cyto@imm.ox.ac.uk
Internal users can find information on services, training and safety on our intranet
What we provide:
- in house tested and validated protocols for a number of Mass Cytometry applications, including assays for detection of phosphoproteins, nuclear targets, cytokines and for size determination,
- a repository of metal conjugated antibodies,
- several ready-to-use panels for phenotypic and functional studies (25 to 40 markers each),
- comprehensive training, including sample preparation and operation of Helios, Mass Cytometer.
The Facility also provides all reagents for metal conjugation and sample preparation on a cost recovery basis.
We do our best to support users in project planning, experimental design, panel design, sample preparation, optimization, data acquisition and data analysis.
How does it work?
In standard mass cytometry a cell suspension is introduced into the system, and dispersed into a spray of droplets, each containing a single cell. These droplets are then directed into hot plasma where cells are vaporized, atomized and ionized, thus changed into discrete clouds, each consisting of naturally abundant atoms and metal isotopes associated with one single cell. In the next step the cloud is stripped of all naturally abundant atoms and a clean cloud of metal isotopes is then segregated and analysed by Time of Flight (TOF). Data is recorded by the detector and transformed into FCS files which are compatible with most of Flow Cytometry software.
Selected Publications
Single-cell proteomics reveal that quantitative changes in co-expressed lineage-specific transcription factors determine cell fate
Palii CG. et al, (2019) Cell Stem Cell, 24, 812-820
Highly multiplexed simultaneous detection of RNAs and proteins in single cells
Frei AP. et al, (2016), Nature Methods, 13, 269 – 275
Data-Driven Phenotypic Dissection of AML Reveals Progenitor-like Cells that Correlate with Prognosis
Levine JH. et al, (2015), Cell, 162, 184 - 97
Single Cell Mass Cytometry Adapted to Measurements of the Cell Cycle
Behbehani GK. et al, (2012), Cytometry, 81A, 552 – 566
Multiplexed mass cytometry profiling of cellular states perturbed by small-molecule regulators
Bodenmiller B. et al, (2012), Nat Biotech, 30, 858 – 867
Single-cell mass cytometry of differential immune and drug responses across a human hematopoietic continuum
Bendall SC. et al, (2011), Science, 332, 687 - 696