ORIGINS OF THE CENTER

The Center for Cytometry and Cytomics (Centro de Citometría y Citómica) was created in 1990 (under the name of Centro de Referencia de Citometría Coulter) in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the University of Valencia. The Center was established by agreement between the University of Valencia and the company Coulter Científica. Later, the company Izasa, S.A. assumed the main sponsorship of the Center. Currently, the staff of the Center includes its director (Prof. José-Enrique O'Connor), one senior research assistant and three Ph.D fellows.

The Center is equipped with an EPICS XL-MCL flow cytometer (four fluorescence detectors and multicarousel loader), an EPICS ALTRA high-speed cell sorter (two lasers and five fluroescence detectors), an EPICS T-Qprep automated blood sample preparator, an EPICS DNA-Prep for semiautomated sample staining for cell cycle analysism, a MACS system for immunomagnetic cell sorting, a fluorescence microscope and several dedicated computers. The Center has also facilities for cell culture and general cellular and molecular analysis.

Since its creation, the Center is involved a systematical activity of teaching and training in basic and avanced applications of flow cytometry, technical support and consulting for user of cytometry equipments. A significant effort of the Center is devoted to basic and clinical research in flow cytometry and cytomics.

GENERAL AIMS OF THE CENTER

The Center has two main objectives that are accomplished trough the activity of its own staff as well as by means of ongoing collaborations with other groups and institutions.

· Support to Clinical Applications of Cytometry :

In this area, the specific objectives of the Center are:

· To contribute to the basic and technical training of users and responsibles of Beckman-Coulter clinical cytometry systems.

· To develop and set up cytometric methods of diagnostic/prognostic relevance.

· To participate in the evaluation of relevant methods for clinical cytometry.

· To be involved in spreading the concept of Quality in diagnostic cytometry, trough Standard Operational Procedures and Good Laboratory Practices.

· To support research and dissemination of results in clinical cytometry.

· To become a reference and linking point for the users of Beckman-Coulter cytometry systems and for other cytometrists.

· Support to Basic and Applied Cytometry:

In this area, the specific objectives of the Center are:

· To contribute to the basic and technical training of users and responsibles of Beckman-Coulter basic cytometry systems.

· To develop and set up cytometric methods relevant to basic and applied research..

· To develop research lines in emerging fields of cytometry and cytomics.

· To provide the experience in basic cytometry to newer research groups in the field of cytometry.

· To support research and dissemination of results in basic and applied cytometry.

· To identify new areas in Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences where cytometry may be relevant.

· To become a reference and linking point for the users of Beckman-Coulter cytometry systems and for other cytometrists.

COLLABORATIONS OF THE CENTER

In order to accomplish its general aims, the Center has established institutional relationships or has ongoing collaborations with a number of basic and clinical institutions in which cytometry plays a relevant role:

· Servicio de Hematología y Hemoterapia, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, Valencia.

· Servicio de Biopatología Clínica, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia.

· Laboratorio de Hepatología Experimental, Hospital La Fe, Valencia.

· Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

· Instituto de Investigaciones Citológicas, Fundación Valenciana de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Valencia.

· Instituto de Biomedicina, CSIC, Valencia.

· Instituto de Algología Aplicada, Gran Canaria.

· Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico/Instituto Politécnico de Saúde Norte, Paredes, Portugal.

· European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods, Joint Research Center of the European Commission, Ispra, Italy.

TRAINING AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

· Training Courses for Beckman-Coulter cytometers:

The Center hosts periodically Basic Training Courses (40 hours) for EPICS XL-MCL and EPICS Altra. These training courses are specifically oriented according to the users profile (Hematology, Immunology, Blood Bank, Cell Biology, Environmental Sciences...).

· Training Courses for cytometric software:

The Center may provide training in software for Acquisition and Data Analysis in Beckman-Coulter cytometers (EXPO 32 and System II), as well as in other programs for cytometric analysis.

· Specialized and Advanced training:

The Center accepts visiting cytometrists for specialized training in basic and clinical cytometry, under agreement. The Center is included among the receiving laboratories of the ISAC training initiative "STEP in Cytometry".

· Cursos teórico-prácticos básicos y especializados:

The Center hosts Theoretical-Practical Courses for small numbers of participants. These courses address general aspects of Cytometry as well as recent advances in emerging cytometric areas, both in Clinical and Basic fields.

Current courses include:

· Clinical Applications of Flow Cytometry.

· Flow Cytometric Analysis of Proliferation and Apoptosis.

· Flow Cytometric Analysis of Cell Activation.

· Flow Cytometry as an Alternative Method in Toxicology.

· Applications of Flow Cytometry in Hemostasiology

· Flow Cytometric Analysis of Inflammation

In the next future, the following courses will be implemented:

· Flow Cytometric Analysis of Leukemias and Lymphomas.

· Advanced Techniques in Hemostasia.

· Flow Cytometry in Allergology.

· Quantification and Quality Control in Flow Cytometry.

· Flow Cytometric Analysis of Immune Regulation.

· Flow Cytometry in Basic and Clinical Microbiology.

· Flow Cytometry in Environmental Sciences.

· Introduction to Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting.

Some of these Courses will be eventually transferred to the Institutions collaborating with the Center.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT:

· Applications in Flow Cytometry:

The Center may develop new or transfer existing applications in basic and clinical cytometry, as requested by users by way of the sponsor Izasa, S.A. These applications are complemented by appropriate informative dossiers for the users.

· Consulting in Flow Cytometry:

The Center provides technical advise for users in basic and clinical cytometry. Clinical advise is usually confirmed by specialists in the Institutions related with the Center, while basic questions are mostly evaluated by the Center own staff.

The Center provides its experience and ressources to orientate and collaborate in the implementation of flow cytometric studies, as well as in the analysis and interpretation of results. Eventually, the experts in the Center may contribute to the preparation and design of manuscripts.

SUPPORT FOR SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES:

· Event organization:

The Center provides human and managing ressources for scientific events related to Cytometry that are organized by the main sponsor in the context of Scientific Meetings.

· Dissemination of results:

The results of the research carried on by the Center are published in specialized journals or presented in scientific meetings. It must be remarked that cytometric results are spread also in non-cytometric ambiances, for which the Center contributes actively to the diffusion of cytometry in different biological and medical areas.

The Center stimulates and supports the participation of the users in its associated groups in scientific meetings, in collaboration with the sponsor and provided the users present original results.

INFORMATION ACTIVITIES:

· Web site:

The Center has created its own website within the web of the University of Valencia (http://www.uv.es/cytomics) to potentiate the spreading of knowledge in cytometry, to provide information on cytometric activities and to stimulate the communication ammong users. While this site is still under construction, its contents will include:

· Basic and specilized texts on Cytometry.

· Description of Standard Operation Procedures.

· Information on scientific meetings and activities in the area of Cytometry.

· Scientific publications of the Center and associated institutions.

· Information on new cytometric issues.

· Distribution list for discussion.

· A CytoCam^TM focused on the flow cytometers for online help.

· Links to other sites related to cytometry.

· Cytometry Textbooks:

In coordination with the sponsor Izasa, the Center will publish a series of basic, specilized or technical textbooks to be distributed to cytometry users. The textbooks will include interactive CD-ROMs with real examples (listmode files) to be analyzed by the users following the textbook suggestions.

· Specialized and Advanced Information:

The Center supplies information dossiers to be distributed to cytometry users, in coordination with the sponsor. These dossiers include general information on emerging applications, technical information, working protocols for specific applications as well as specific information on new systems or products.

· Bibliographical Searches:

The Center performs bibliography searches as requested by the main sponsor, including reference lists, pdf files or paper printouts. The Center takes advantage of the search and retrieval facilities of the Faculty of Medicine library and has on-line access to a large number of basic and clinical publications institutionally suscribed by the University of Valencia..

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:

Since its creation, the Center has developed basic and applied research in different lines derived of its own activity and its collaboration with other Spanish and international research groups.

Research activities in the Center include research projects granted by national and european agencies, as well as several projects sponsored by agreement with private companies. The main lines of investigation may be summarized in three general fields:

· Functional studies on platelets and leukocytes in whole blood under relevant conditions.

· Development of bacterial models for the analysis of oxidative stress.

· Development of alternative methods in Toxicology based upon multiparametric flow cytometry.

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