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Cornell University

Cornell Biotechnology Resource Center Flow Cytometry Facility

Technical Resources for BRC Flow Cytometry Facility Users

Sony MA900

Quick Facts

  • Biosafety level 2 cabinet
  • 4 lasers, 14 parameters*
  • 405, 488, 561, 640 nm lasers**
  • 100 um nozzle
  • Controlled sample input/output temperature
  • High-speed 2-way and 4-way sorting
  • High-throughput plate sorting

* includes FSC and SSC in addition to colors

** MA900 has a co-laser system (paired lasers at two different locations to illuminate different regions of samples), with blue and green lasers sharing the filters FL1-FL5, and red and violet lasers sharing the filters FL6-FL12.

Sorting Guidelines – BRC Flow Facility

Location: Biotech 140


Technical Specifications

The Sony MA900 has a micro fluidic chip-based design and advanced automation that simplifies operation. It offers a high level of automation, aseptic cleaning, QC, and sort setup to ensure optimal daily alignment of the chip to the lasers. Wizard cleaning cycles simplify maintenance. The MA900 software guides operation. A choice of eight default and five custom sort modes is available to achieve the desired purity and yield of the sorted population. Sort devices supported include 2-way and 4-way tubes as well as 6-, 12-, 48, 96-, and 384-well plates. The MA900 is installed in a custom-tailored Class II Type A2 biosafety cabinet for protection of personnel and products. The cabinet incorporates a built-in aerosol management system which operates independently to actively evacuate aerosols from the sort collection chamber. The dual routes of aerosol evacuation maximize protection. Types of sorts include high-purity 4-way sorting of a 12-color immunophenotyping panel and sorting of a 12-color immunophenotyping panel using 5 violet fluorochromes.

Excitation lasers488 nm, 638 nm, 405nm, 561 nm
Output power405 nm (10 mW max), 488 nm, 638 nm, and 561 nm (36 mW max)
Detection parameters12 fluorescence + 2 scatter
Sample tubeSingle, auto-loading tube
Tube types0.5 -mL, 1.5 mL, 5 mL, and 15-mL tubes
Temperature control5°C, 37°C
Agitation unitEccentric rotation
Magnetic drive300 rpm speed
Sorting chip size (nozzle)100 um
Sorting speed100 um (targeted) setting: 21 kHz to 23.5 kHz
100 um (standard) setting: 27 kHz to 31 kHz

Instrument Configuration

Note for panel design: Only one preferred color from each parameter can be used at a single run.

ParameterColaser GroupFilter BPPreferred colors
FL 11525/50EGFP, CFSE, FITC, AF488, SYBR Green, EYFP, mVenus, mCitrine, LIVE/DEAD GRN, Zombie Green, GFP
FL 21585/30PE, mOrange, tdTomato, DsRed/mRFP
FL 31627/30PE-Texas Red, PE-Dazzle 594, PI, LIVE/DEAD Red, Zombie Red, mCherry, AF594, mKate
FL 41695/507AAD, PE-Cy5, PerCP, PE-Cy5.5, PerCP-Cy5.5, PerCP-eFluor710, mPlum
FL 51785/60PE-Cy7
FL 62450/50BV421, AF405, Zombie Violet, LIVE/DEAD Violet, DAPI, PacBlue, mCFP, BFP, Sytox Blue, Hoechst 33342
FL 72525/50AmCyan, BV510, T-Sapphire, PacOrange, Zombie Aqua, LIVE/DEAD Aqua
FL 82585/30BV570, Zombie Yellow, LIVE/DEAD Yellow
FL 92617/30BV605
FL 102665/30BV650, APC, CY5, AF647, LIVE/DEAD Far Red
FL 112720/60BV711, APC-Cy5.5, AF700
FL 122785/60BV785, APC-Cy7, APC-AF750, APC-Fire 750, Zombie NIR, LIVE/DEAD NIR
Laser Key: 488488 or 561,   561405638

(AF = Alexa Fluor, BV = Brilliant Violet)


Saving Your Data

Users are given access to a fileshare drive to save data after being trained on the instrument. You can save your data as experiment files, FCS files, and PDFs.

Exporting FCS Files:
1. Right-click the Experiment name -> Export FCS files.
2. Next to Output folder, click the three dots. Navigate to This PC -> FlowCyto X: drive -> Your Folder. Create New
Folder with today’s date. Select this new folder again, OK.
3. Export

Exporting PDFs:
1. Double-click the tube within your experiment that has saved data to open the worksheet.
2. Worksheet Tools -> Print -> Print
3. Save to This PC-> FlowCyto X: drive -> Your Folder, and give the pdf a name. Save.

Exporting Experiment:
1. File -> Database -> Export
2. Highlight your experiment from the list on the left, should be at the top if created that day.
3. Click the two arrows to bring your experiment to the list on the right
4. Next to Output File, click the three dots. Save to This PC->FlowCyto X: drive->Your folder
5. Name the experiment and include the current date!
6. Export.
7. Remove files from the software under the Experiment Tab after exported. Right-click -> Delete

Don’t forget: Saving your data is your responsibility. We regularly delete experiments from our instrument’s computers to free up memory.

Instrument Pricing