Analysers tell you what is in a sample. Sorters physically separate it, and that changes the requirements — recovery, viability, purity, sterility and, if the cells are destined for a patient, a whole regulatory dimension that research instruments do not address.
The choice usually comes down to three questions: how complex is the panel, how many ways do you need to sort, and is this research or manufacturing?
Chip-based sorting, briefly
Traditional sorters use open fluidics with a nozzle that must be aligned and cleaned. Modern systems replace that with a disposable microfluidic chip that integrates the flow cell and nozzle in one unit. Setup becomes automated rather than expert-dependent, cross-contamination between samples largely disappears, and biosafety improves because the fluid path is enclosed and discarded.
The options
- SH800S — the benchtop workhorse. Disposable chips in three sizes (70, 100 and 130 µm) matched to cell size, automated chip loading and calibration, and collection into tubes, slides, strips or plates down to single cells. The system for a laboratory that sorts regularly but does not need high-parameter panels.
- MA900 — accessible multi-application sorting. Automated setup with up to four-way sorting, covering cells from roughly 0.5 to 30 µm. The choice when several groups share one instrument and ease of use matters as much as capability.
- FP7000 — high-parameter spectral sorting. Sorts complex 40-plus-colour panels up to six ways, with optics matched to the ID7000 analyzer so a panel developed on one transfers to the other.
When research sorting is no longer the right tool
This is the distinction that matters most, and it is easy to miss until late.
A research sorter is designed to answer scientific questions. Once cells are intended for a patient, the requirements change completely: a closed system, GMP-compatible processing, and a documented, controlled path from input to product. The CGX10 exists for that — a fully closed, GMP-ready isolation system that selects cells on up to ten markers using a microfluidic chip rather than droplet sorting.
It is not a better research sorter, and a research sorter is not a cheaper clinical one. They are built for different worlds, and the honest advice is to be clear which you are in before you buy.
Questions worth settling first
- How many colours? Beyond about 20 parameters, spectral rather than conventional detection becomes the practical route.
- How many populations at once? Two-way, four-way and six-way sorting are genuinely different instruments.
- What happens to the cells afterwards? Culture and analysis are one thing; infusion into a patient is another.
- Who operates it? A shared instrument with many occasional users rewards automated setup far more than a single-expert instrument does.
If you would like to talk it through — or sort your own cells on a demonstration system in Israel — get in touch.