Cell analysis solutions provider Cytek Biosciences, Inc., has unveiled its Cytek Orion reagent cocktail preparation system. This automated reagent cocktailing technology simplifies and accelerates laboratory workflow, assures consistent experimental results, saves time and reduces the potential for errors.

Manually preparing reagent cocktails for flow cytometry can be a time-consuming, error-prone process, particularly when panels with more than six colors are being used. The Cytek Orion system, a small, easy-to-operate, fully automated reagent cocktail preparation instrument for flow cytometry, eliminates the need for lab technicians to manually prepare multicolor antibody cocktails for flow cytometry. With the CytekSource: Cytek Biosciences, Inc. Orion system, users can mix and manage reagent cocktail combinations of up to 60 individual reagent antibody conjugates.

The Cytek Orion workflow is designed to fit seamlessly with the Cytek ecosystem of complete solutions — including its cloud-based platform, analyzers, sorter, reagents and software. It is instrument agnostic, enabling it to be used with other systems as well.

The system accommodates antibody-conjugate tubes with volumes of 0.5 ml to 2.0 ml per tube, and the aspirator can add 4 uL to 200 uL of reagent to cocktail at the proper volume and concentration. SpectroPrep software stores information regarding reagents in a library for future use and can provide an audit trail. Users can mix up to three different reagent cocktails per run, create cocktail recipes and save for reuse, or use pre-programmed recipes for Cytek kits and assays.