1. What does the equipment do, and how does that make it valuable for research? The WOLF is a small, low pressure cell sorter that uses a novel microfluidic chip in a disposable cartridge to identify and sort cells of your choice. It’s valuable for research because of its small footprint, the low pressure is less likely to damage fragile cells, and the disposable cartridges minimize cost and overall maintenance, along with preventing cross-contamination and improving biohazard cleanup.
2. Over the last year, how many people have used the equipment and from what organizations? Currently we have 10 registered users that span multiple departments at OSU as well as Northeastern State University (NSU).
3. What are some important findings that were made possible with the equipment? Currently, we are optimizing a protocol that will allow us precisely separate out all of vascular cells from entire rodent brains. This will allow us to determine if these specific cells are functioning properly in disease states, and if not, determine the pathways that are disrupted.
