RE: FL-6 issues - a nonsensical label!!

Ann et al.

The user first needs to know what analyte is being measured. This is what
should be shown on graphs, which are usually placed in the Results section
of a paper. The Materials and Methods describe the instrumentation.
Particularly in a clinical environment, requiring the user to remember which
analyte is associated with which detector is an unacceptable hazard. This is
one of the reasons that the ISAC Recommendation for the Minimum Information
about a Flow Cytometry Experiment (MIFlowCyt 1.0), Glossary contains in the
description of Parameter the following statement: 

"Note that a parameter description constructed as a concatenation of the
detector type, a sequential number and how the signal was processed (e.g.,
"FL1-W") is appropriate for engineering studies only and it is not suitable
for publishing experimental results, labelling graph axes, etc."

In fact, in many cases since the raw parameter measurement requires color
compensation, it would be incorrect to include the raw data in a graph.  The
adoption of spectral measurements and principle components parameters will
further complicate the use of direct measurements as descriptions for the
axes of graphs.


Yours,

Robert (Bob) C. Leif, Ph.D.

Vice President

Newport Instruments

5648 Toyon Road

San Diego, CA 92115

Tel. (619)582-0437

Email rleif@rleif.com

Web : www.newportinstruments.com


From: Ann Atzberger [mailto:Atzberger@hammer.imm.ox.ac.uk] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 3:29 AM
To: cyto-inbox
Subject: Re: FL-6 issues - a nonsensical label!!


May I  just add, in some instruments the various emission channels are
prelabelled, hence:

GFP/CFSE labelled as Fitc (because it is measured in the FITC "channel"

PercP, 7AAD or PI labelled as PE-CY5 or PE

PB labelled as Violet 1

etc

of course the labels can be changed but why have them there in the first
place, it would be much better if users needed to understand about
excitation and emission wavelengths, especially with multi-colour
instruments. It would also enhance their learning and understanding of FCM.


regards

ann