5 – Flow Cytometry

The Importance Of Teaching With Integrity And Passion

By: Tim Bushnell, PhD

Flow cytometry education has grown phenomenally in response to more sophisticated instrumentation, growing demands for more sensitive, high-speed and multi-parameter flow. Specialized training is critical to any flow lab competing in today’s global marketplace. The key is to find the right trainer. As a core director or lab manager, how can you tell if the training course you’re interested in is both credible and relevant in today’s fast paced and constantly evolving market? Some tips and tricks: 1. Ask for references. Ask for names of people who teach the course. Are they in a modern and competitive lab or business? Are…

The Jablonski Diagram

By: Tim Bushnell, PhD

A Jablonski diagram illustrates the electronic states of a molecule as well as the transitions between them. These states are arranged vertically by energy and grouped horizontally by spin multiplicity. Nonradiative transitions are indicated by straight arrows and radiative transitions by squiggly arrows. The vibrational states of each electronic state are indicated with parallel horizontal lines. For flow cytometry, its important to note that the energy of the emission is usually less than that of the absorption. As such, fluorescence normally occurs at lower energies or longer wavelengths.